World Beyond the Waves
by Azure-VortexDragon
Summary: A fantasy realm, a new world. When the new, eerie prophecy goes wrong ending with the six's death, what would happen to them? Transported to a new world with a new life with no memories of their last, the six must make their way through this new world, this new adventure, to see their next sunrise. Fantasy/Power/Neo AU
1. Prologue: Fall From Grace

Pre-A/N: New story, let's go! This first prologue is a little meh. Don't quite remember how the end of midnight went but anyways its an AU so don't get to prissy over every detail ok? Needless to say, this is gonna be quite the ambitious AU. If you know what an isekai is… well that's basically what this is. So yeah, good reading to you, fellow readers. Enjoy.

_**Prologue: Fall From Grace**_

* * *

They stood there, by the cliffs overlooking the great expanse of the sun-drown place as the sun set into the brine below. The air was filled with an aroma, the scent of salt and water. The wind blew savagely, rippling against the group's fur. The ground below their feet was coarse and rough, almost stony. Digging their claws in was almost impossible, yet the exhilaration of the endless waves, it was… Beautiful to say the least. Brambleclaw reached out a paw, it almost felt like he could grasp the sun itself. This journey of theirs, the six of them, would it finally end here?  
His wondering of his had to end as he looked to his side, staring at his companions that had accompanied him on this journey. He could safely label them as friends, the proud and arrogant Crowpaw, the similarly sassy Squirrelpaw, the ingenious and calculative Feathertail, the brave and loyal Stormfur and his sister, Tawnypelt, strong and steadfast. She was still suffering from the rat bites they had taken during their journey through the twolegplace. His ears flicked as he reminiscence his journey with the senile Purdy. If they ever met him again, he would give him a hard flick on the ears for making Tawnypelt suffer for as much as she did. Yet looking straight at the setting sun, the crimson red and musky orange sending violent streaks of lights tearing across the darkening sky, like a velvet lightning, he could only feel reassurance. The prophecy was complete, their journey had ended. Now they must find their 'midnight'.

But first… Brambleclaw looked to both sides of him, the other five were awestricken, staring directly at the sun crashing down into the rippling waves below. Squirrelpaw to his left side was shivering, her eyes bulged wide like an apprentice being shown the outside of a camp for the first time. She was the first to shake off her shock, looking directly at his eyes. In them were emotions of joy, relief and a whole wave of countless others. She nuzzled up next to him as he pulled his head away, looking to his other side.

To the right of him, he saw Feathertail purr as she pushed head forward deeply breathing in the wind. Exhaling, she smiled turning towards Crowpaw to the right of her, entwining their tails. Crowpaw, too, seemed stunned by his surroundings. He peered over, below towards the dazzling reflection of the sunset light against the pristine waves below.

Brambleclaw tilted his neck further to see Stormfur. The grey tom shook off his agape expression, turning back towards his sister, bristling as he saw her and Crowpaw's tails entwining together. Shaking his head, Brambleclaw averted his glance. He was aware of Feathertail and Crowpaw's feelings for each other, but the resilient and optimistic Feathertail and the hard-headed and stubborn Crowpaw would never accept any other cat's opinions on their relationship. Still… He looked to his left. Tawnypelt, his sister. She was a Shadowclan cat. They were family separated by the arbitrary borders set by the leaders. The journey had showed Brambleclaw that it didn't mean anything if they were from different clans, they had and **should** work together for the betterment of them all. Tawnypelt was glancing at the sun, a few shy tears welling in her eyes. She limped close towards Brambleclaw as Squirrelpaw pulled away to allow the two to converse.

"It's pretty isn't it." Tawnypelt commented, nudging her head towards the setting sun.

Brambleclaw grunted in agreement, his eyes felt blank. His mind overflowing with words to say and emotions to feel. He wanted to cry out about his desire to stay with her, his proud feelings for them all, his deepest sadness and the bitter truth of the journey's end. He knew, that once this was over, their lives would revert back too their old ways. Antagonistic, rivals. What did it all mean anyways? Brambleclaw didn't know where to start, so he said the only thing he could say for the time.

"It sure is."

Tawnypelt purred, before snapping out of the trance of the beauty, "Anyways, don't we have a prophecy to fulfil?"

Brambleclaw scraped the rough ground below with his paws, claws unsheathed. He wanted to savour a moment like this, just a little more. He didn't want anything else more precious to be taken away from him. First his sister, now moments like these? Still, he knew it was a futile thought. It was Starclan's decree that led them here, it was their job to see to its completion. He closed his eyes, silently nodding. Yes, they had to. There was no other choice. Their clans were counting on them.

"Your're right Tawnypelt," He whispered quietly to her, nuzzling her cheek with his muzzle, "It is time to finally end this journey officially."

He padded up to Feathertail, Crowpaw and Stormfur. Feathertail and Crowpaw pulled away as he came up towards them, still oblivious to Stormfur's bristling fur. Brambleclaw looked towards Stormfur as he forced his fur down, intently glaring at the pair, his sister and Crowpaw.

Brambleclaw's eyes welled as he saw a scene unfold in front of his eyes. They were all from different clans. These walls that had divided them, fallen here to stop a disaster from occurring. It would be over as soon as 'midnight' came. He blinked before shaking his head, clearing his head refocusing his thoughts on the present. It wasn't the time to think about the future, it wasn't in his paws anyways.

The trio looked at him, waiting. He had become a leader figure for them all and they all looked to him for answers. He was nervous to be honest, he didn't have any experience to lead cats. Still, he kept a poker face in front of them, always trying his best to persevere despite the difficulties.

Turning back around, he saw Squirrelpaw and his sister stand behind him. They too, were silently waiting for his words. He gulped, steadying his breathing as he calmed himself. If they viewed him as a leader, it was up to him to live up to their expectations, to earn it.

"I don't think we'll find what we're looking for if we just stand here," He tilted his head upwards looking at the sky above, pondering. What did it mean by 'midnight'?

"Aren't we just supposed to wait until midnight arrives?" Crowpaw snarked back.

Brambleclaw's anger flared up but he forcefully calmed himself down. Replying coolly to the young apprentice, "How do we know we're in the right place when midnight does arrive, perhaps it is better if we wandered down the sun-drown place and back. At least then, we can make sure."

The dark apprentice muttered under his breath but said nothing out loud to display any opposing opinion. Brambleclaw just ignored him. The tom was stubborn and tenacious, he wouldn't back down anyways.

"But how far does the sun-drown place extend till?" A meek voice piped up from behind him.

He turned around to be greeted by the lightly orange Squirrelpaw, her pelt glowing like lazy cinders with the setting sun. Like father, like daughter, he thought.

Firestar…

Wherever he was back at the forest, hopefully he was doing well…

Brambleclaw's paws trembled as he remembered about his leader. A source of wisdom and inspiration for him, someone who had led the four clans into battle with the great Bloodclan. Surely, he would be better at leading, better at reassuring his cats than what Brambleclaw could do now. As all five of his companions stared at him, he closed his eyes, thinking to himself what Firestar would do.

He opened his eyes once more and sighed. He had to address the others anyways, they had to do something.

"I suppose we would never know. It is better if we still checked," He murmured slowly and softly.

The others were quiet, not sure what to make of him. Finally, Stormfur padded up to him and dipped his head, "I'm not sure where we have to go or how much further we must follow Starclan's trek, but we've come here together so we must end this together."

Seeing the glimmering trust in the grey tom's eyes, Brambleclaw felt rejuvenated. He nodded, smiling back at his companions, "Then let us go forth, towards our objective, for the clans and for Starclan."

The others mewed in agreement as they began walking once more.

* * *

"Look."

The sun had sunk well into the water by now. The stars had appeared, glittering up in the night sky, like a sea of sparkles in the dark waves of the beyond. They had walked for quite a while, taking breaks as Tawnypelt's shoulders begun acting up. However, Squirrelpaw's burdock treatment had seemed to show great effect as Tawnypelt exclaimed that her shoulder was feeling a lot lighter now. Squirrelpaw, on the other paw, was looking quite pleased with herself. Brambleclaw felt proud, she had grown to become a mature she-cat during their long journey, not the childish kit she had once been. In fact, Brambleclaw murmured in his mind, she was almost unrecognisable by now.

Squirrelpaw pointed her paw at an alcove along the edges of the sun-drown place. It looked quite suspicious among the sun-drown place, but it was located in a precarious location and they could fall into the water if they weren't careful enough. It was however, a lead. After a long time of just walking along the sun-drown place, it was the only thing they had come upon. Brambleclaw glance behind him towards his companions. They held serious expressions and he knew that they were ready to take on any challenge, no matter the risk. He just nodded towards them, signalling them to approach the alcove with him.

The night was windy, a chilling bite that stung at their fur. They made their way to the alcove, slowly manoeuvring around the few strung rocks and coarse sandstone that lay along the edge of the sun-drownplace's slowly descending cliffs.

They moved towards the edge of the cliffs where the alcove was located by. There was a low, descending steep with stone protrusions along the walls of the jagged cliffs that led to their destination. Brambleclaw grimaced. It would be difficult, but they could definitely do it if they were cautious. He put a paw on the rocky steep, feeling it shake below him. Steadying himself, he looked behind him. The others looked grim, but they weren't unnerved by what they had to do. It wasn't as if they had a choice, this would all be Starclan's doing anyways.

Brambleclaw nodded for them to follow. The stone protrusions shook with every step he took, but as he slowly padded forward, he calmed down. The stone's, luckily, weren't wet. It was a bit thin, sure, and they had to move forward one paw at a time but Brambleclaw felt relieved that it wouldn't be too dangerous. He began thinking about what would happen after this. Would this lead to their objective? Would this all be for nothing? Brambleclaw shook his head, it wouldn't help if he was so pessimistic about everything.

His took another pawstep forward, pulling back swiftly as the stone platform shook precariously. Brambleclaw closed his eyes. There was no helping it then, he had to leap forward slightly.

He steadied his paws and breathed deeply, pushing himself softly off the steep.

_Starclan please!_

His paws touched back down on stone once more, steadying onto the shaky protrusions. He opened his eyes, breathing a great sigh of relief. He smiled to himself, moving forward by a step to make way. He twisted his head back to look at the others. Squirrelpaw was right behind him, just a few pawsteps away from him. She placed a paw on the stone her paw almost slipping off as it shook away, almost breaking off. Her eyes were dark, glimmering. She was visibly shaking, and her tail swished precariously around in dread. Brambleclaw could see her fear, however she was too stubborn to admit it. However, she seemed to have steadied her nerves as she bunched her muscles together ready to take the leap as well.

"Don't worry, I'll catch you if anything goes wrong," He teased her.

The young she-cat glared at him, muttering under her breath some sort of insult he couldn't hear. Brambleclaw had a moment of amusement but it quickly faded away into a twinge of anxiety as Squirrelpaw was about to leap. The she-cat huffed and leaped.

Time froze as she flew in the air and in an instant Brambleclaw knew. She had leaped too far, overshooting. The strength of her flight was an almost unstoppable force as she barrelled into him. The pressure caused the stone protrusions below his paws to shatter away as he desperately scrabbled on to any support he could get. Squirrelpaw grasp on tightly with her unsheathed claws piercing into his back. His eyes closed in pain and exhaustion as he hung on tight to what remained of the shattered steep.

Tawnypelt gasped in panic and the others weren't far behind as they rushed to help. Brambleclaw could feel his grip slipping as Tawnypelt stretched out trying to grasp him by the scruff. She had extended so far that the pressure on the stone protrusion gave in, breaking away. The ricochet shot through all the remaining stone protrusions along the steep, breaking away. The last Brambleclaw saw of them were Tawnypelt's widened eyes before they disappeared below yowling.

He was in stunned silence, and soon that shock turned to desperation as his grip finally loosened and he too fell alongside a closed eyed Squirrelpaw. Her eyes opened as they fell through the air, the glimmer of sad acceptance in them broke him. Had they failed? Was this the end?

The orange she-cat shook her head for the last time and put her nose to his. Brambleclaw didn't reel back. If this was how he was going to end… Then perhaps this wouldn't be the worst thing either. Fallen and strewn against the coasts of the beautiful sun-drown place, with his companions by his side. It was a surreal peace. Closing his eyes for the final time, the last thing he saw was the stars and moons above, glimmering and the green ablaze eyes of the feisty she-cat that he had grown fond of.

They splashed into the water at a terrifying velocity. Brambleclaw felt numb. His bones were probably all broken, he thought. The darkness swirled around him, veiling him in oozy blackness as he faded away into the unknown. He felt his memories beginning to dance around him, being washed away by the silent, carrying waves of the sun-drown place. He saw his emotions erased as he became a stone-still figure. Finally, he fell to nothingness. A sense of blankness. He had become nothing. His last thoughts evaporated from him; Was this what it was like to die?

And then at long last…

* * *

A/N: Not the best prologue, but hey, Midnight was so long ago. Plus, I always wanted to change the final part of Midnight up a bit. Anyways I'll probably remaster this after a while so yeah. Ah well, from now on its smooth sailing, no hitchhiking off the stories. Although a few elements may remain in character as I'm trying to recreate their… Never mind, I won't spoil anything just yet. Anyways… Enjoy this new story.


	2. Chapter 1: Awakening

_**Chapter 1: Awakening**_

* * *

Where was she?

Moreover, who was she?

The she-cat felt nothing around her as her body was veiled by a bright light, brighter than that of the stars and the sun.

She had no memories or any recollection of anything. She did not even know what her own name was. She padded forward in towards the bright, white mist. All around her was translucent plains, like clouds that were partially see-through. She padded around, its buoyancy comforting her every pawstep. She wandered for a long time, losing track of how long she had been wandering for. After all, she did not even know how to keep time in this place. Eventually she came across a small depression in the ground, a puddle of shiny liquid, like the tears of stars, lay silently along the cloudy ground.

She padded forwards looking down into the pool of starry water. It shimmered as she approached, looking in. Her reflection seemed distorted, shrouded in mystery, like a cloudy mist. She couldn't see herself, she didn't know what she looked like and her annoyance rose. Her irritation increased as she felt something deep within her burst. Emotions filled her, familiar ones. Arrogance, pride, selfishness, angst and stubbornness. Her head ached with these emotions filling her. What were these?

Her eyes lulled back down to the pool of water below, her head burning with pain. And then she saw it. Her fur was all white. From nose to tail, she was a cloud white with steaks of gold, like a glow of sunshine. She radiated like stars, shimmering like the embers that danced in her head. Her thoughts lifted as the pain from the flooding emotions subsided.

"You are not who you are anymore."

A voice called out to her from around her, echoing through this vast plain of clouded ground. The voice was light and cheerful but also dark and deep. It was the epitome of both light and dark, hope and dread. She felt the radiating kindness of love from around her and the deep feeling of gloom too.

She looked around her, through the vast open space of this land. Nobody.

A chuckle, a hearty one mixed in with a slight wisp of condescension, "You won't find me anywhere here nor there."

The voice was genderless, the she-cat couldn't tell if it was a tom's or a she-cat's. It was like a veil of mystery, as clouded as the ground she stood on.

"Who are you?" She called out in reply. Perhaps this would yield an answer, she thought.

The chuckle ended, a tone of seriousness arose from its end, "You need not know that."

"Who am I then?"

Her second question yielded a pause from the voice. It was as if it was pondering the question, wondering what to say in response.

"You are nothing right now. You were something before."

This left the she-cat with more confusion. She didn't understand what the voice was spouting. Yet she continued asking, hoping she would get an answer.

"What was I before?"

Another pause, another vague answer, "You were a being with a heavy burden, you no longer have to carry that weight on your shoulders."

The she-cat didn't know what to say anymore. She struggled to think about all these questions. The voice seemed amused however, as if she found great entertainment in her struggles, or perhaps it was pity excitement?

The she-cat continued on, she had to kept pressing about this, how could she not? This voice, this mysterious being… It was the only source of knowledge that she had right now.

"What is to be done with me?"

She couldn't see it, but she felt it, she could feel the being behind the voice smiling. It was almost cracked open into a laugh as it began its response.

"You are to be recreated anew. Reincarnation you can say. Whatever you take of it, I wouldn't care."

The she-cat's eyes widened. Reincarnation? Had she died? There was but one way to find out. The she-cat opened her mouth once more, speaking the question that she already knew what its dreaded answer was.

"Did I die?"

"Yes."

No moment of pause, no hesitation. The voice just snapped in an instance to her response. The she-cat fell to the ground, her paws feeling weak. She didn't know what had happened, she didn't remember who she was. She died, but who was she in the first place? These memories made in her previous life, lose now. Her eyes began welling as tears began dripping down her face down to her chest.

"How did I die?"

Her face was pawful of tears, her chest drenched with the downpour of tears. The voice momentarily stayed silent, waiting for her tears to end. They began slowing down, her sadness subsiding to nothingness as she stood up from the misted ground. Suddenly, she felt as if there was no reason to cry. Why? Had she lost her sense to her previous life? Perhaps she was not attuned to it anymore.

"I find no reason to tell you why, and you too shouldn't know."

The she-cat stayed silent, there was nothing more to say. She would be whisked away soon anyways, and her memories of this would probably be gone. She was being rational, she knew that this conversation was just a pitiful stop before her next life began.

"If its any consolation, it could be said that you died with loved ones by your side."

The she-cat nodded silently, saying nothing but acknowledging the fact. She lifted her head once more, looking up at the sky. It was dark up there, no stars glittered in the skies, no clouds floated above. It was like a blank slate, a great analogy for her current state.

"How much longer?" She asked, awaiting her fate. She had accepted it, calming down. There was no longer a point in looking back at her past life, she was what she was now.

"Soon. Not much longer. I can answer one more question of yours though, so make it quick." The voice responded, its calm presence swept across the plain, relaxing the she-cat's tensed muscles.

The she-cat pondered upon what question she wanted to ask last. She no longer wanted to know about her past life. She didn't want to know anything about this place she would stay only temporarily and moments more, either. So, there was but one thing she could ask.

"Who will I be in my next life?"

Her eyes blazed with curiosity, her fur bristled through the still air. She knew it was pointless regardless, she would forget these memories anyways. But in her final moments here, perhaps she could feel a sense of condolence, a calm sense of a beautiful end.

The voice played along. She could not see it, but she knew it blinked. Maybe sympathy or just pity? Perhaps they were lesser beings to it, or perhaps it didn't care about them at all. Regardless, she felt ready. The voice chuckled, calmly sweeping her fur, relaxing her. Its calm presence making her feel sleepy.

"Look at yourself in the pool. You will be who you are now."

The she-cat began falling down on her paws and then collapsing down, curling up into sleeping position. Her eyes began to feel droopy, her brain going from a jumbled mess to serene emptiness.

"Sleep now, my child."

The voice began distorting, becoming a slur of soft words. Her tail fell limp as the dark void of sleep began overtaking her.

"Wake up to yourself, a changed being. Wake up to yourself, another cat. In time you will become a she-cat, proud and mighty. You will be like an elegant swan, a pretty white tulip in a sea of despair. I pray to you that you will become this she-cat I see, but for now you must sleep my dear..."

The voice tuned out into a dark veil of nothingness, as the she-cat started forgetting the memories of all this place. The questions, the answers. Nothingness remained. A muting, dark veil surrounded her as her senses became null. She began phasing away into nothing.

But before everything disappeared, she heard one last thing. A sweet voice at the end of her time here, and a sweet voice to begin her new time wherever she was going. It was beautiful, it was serene. It was like grasping onto the final memories of previous lives. A single word, but prettier than shimmering sunsets.

"Angel."

* * *

"Angel…"

Some cat was saying something. A word, a weird one.

"Angel…"

Again. She felt like she knew it, but she never had heard it before.

"Angel!"

It clicked in her head. From out of nowhere, thoughts began smashing into her head. Angel… Yes… That was her name.

"Yes, yes! I'm up, I'm up!"

She struggled to stand up, her paws giving in as she attempted to gain footing, rendering her progress useless.

The mysterious voice scoffed, "Come on! We're going to miss the ceremony!"

Ceremony?

"What ceremony?"

The voice scoffed again, and Angel felt the being behind it roll its eyes at her, "Your ceremony!"

Angel looked up, blinking the dark veil of sleep away. Her distorted vision slowly clearing as she blinked away the cloudy view. In front of her was a pretty, light blue she-kit with brilliant crystalline, ruby eyes. She was jumpy and seemed excited. Her name and all of Angel's memories of her began pouring back into her. Azulith. That was her name. Her best friend ever since she was born.

"Let me sleep, Azulith." Angel murmured sleepily as she grasped at the comfortable _**blanket**_, pulling it back over her.

Azulith whinged and pulled it back off her receiving a death glare from Angel's red eyes, "Come on! You've got to get up, or have you forgotten? This is your big day!"

Angel's mind was blank, she couldn't remember the importance of this day. Her head ached and she couldn't think straight. What was happening with her?

"What?"

The blue she-kit's eyes widened as her mouth dropped, "What?! You actually forgot?"

"No… I don't know. My mind just feels blank right now."

Azulith seemed momentarily worried before shaking her head, her eyes reverting back to their excitement. She placed her paws on Angel's back as she unsheathed her tiny claws tugging at Angel's fur.

"Come on! It's your first tri-moon day! We have to hurry!" Her friend tugged at her pelt.

"Ow, ow, ow! Ok, ok, I'm up," Angel whined as she stood up, "But what is tri-moon day?"

Azulith's face dropped as she rushed up to her sniffing her, "What are you? An imposter Angel? Were you taken by the Kyzurians and replaced with a fake Angel?!"

"Kyz-what?" Angel tilted her head in confusion at her friend's reaction.

A gasp from her blue friend as she crouched down low into a combat-ready stance, "Who are you really fake Angel?!"

"Woah, woah, woah. Relax Azulith, it's the real me." She hurriedly waved her paws, desperately trying to stop her friend from attacking her.

"Oh, but then why don't you remember about your first tri-moon day?" The blue kit queried as she relaxed. Her eyes widened once more as crouched back down, back into combat stance again, unsheathing her claws, "Unless you really are an imposter from the Kyzurian Kingdom and you're trying to trick me. Well jokes on you, I'm a genius."

"What? Look I just had a mind blank, I don't think I'm feeling to well, that's all." Angel stared at her friend weirdly.

"Oh, well we should get you checked with the royal doctor later, but for now we have to run!" Azulith stood up, sheathing back her claws as she placed a tail on Angel's back.

_**Royal doctor?**_

Angel's mind felt stuffed, she didn't know what was going on. She had seemed to have forgotten a lot, luckily there wasn't much she knew in the first place anyways. Her best option was to ask Azulith. But well… She might actually attack her next time. It would probably just be better to play along, Angel thought.

"Ok, Azulith lead me there…" Angel was interrupted as Azulith gasped in shock.

What had she done wrong this time, she thought?

"Just go there? With how you look now? Unacceptable!" The blue kit practically yowled in her ears as she swept Angel's body with her tail.

"It is my duty as your friend to make you look as beautiful as you can be for everyone to see!" She continued hurriedly, as she pulled Angel up from her _**bed**_.

Everyone?

Her stomach felt ill at those words. What was going to happen at this 'tri-moon' ceremony?

"Now let us make haste! We only have three sun-clicks left!" (Sun-clicks are basically hours.*)

Sun-clicks… She knew what they were but for some reason she felt as if they had been missing for her entire life. It was… A weird feeling to her… Wait…

"Three sun-clicks?! We have plenty of time! What in the stars name did you wake me up for then?!" Angel growled, furious at the prospect of being unnecessarily awakened.

"What do you mean? We're already late. We've got to get you dressed and prim and proper. That would take ages already, we're already late as it is!" Azulith exclaimed as she made way to the opening of her _**room**_. Angel following suit closely.

What? These words that were being said. She felt as if they were new, yet she knew their meanings already. Angel shook her head, perhaps just the sickness she had. It was better if she just ignored it and focus on the physical reality, she thought.

"How could it take so long to dress me anyways?"

Azulith stopped in her path right outside the _**doorway**_ of her room. She spun around, her face sporting a look of disbelief with an agape mouth and fallen eyes.

"We can't just dress you up like a normal everyday cat nor even a noble. You're Angel! The princess of the Catacus Empire!"

Princess… Princess… Princess?!

Everything snapped into place, from the lavish bedding to the 'royal doctor'. She almost felt like collapsing in disbelief. Why was this happening to her? Why was she so shocked? She was like this her whole life, wasn't she? A princess. Yet she felt like this was all knew to her, like this was just a recent development in her mind. She was about to yowl out in complete shock when for some reason, she felt a calm wave of serenity wash over her entire body, casting away the doubts she had had. She felt memories wash over her as she felt her personality began moulding back into her. Why had she lost it in the first place? Didn't matter. She was who she was.

"Right! I'm the princess. You're right, I need to be dressed as extravagant as I should be." She nodded smugly, "And all the nobles at my tri-moon will be so taken aback by my stunning prettiness."

"Ah! It seems you're back! Not feeling sick anymore?" Azulith smiled cheerfully, wrapping her tail around Angel's shoulder.

"Yeah…" Angel mewed hesitantly. It was still there. A different being, a different personality. It wasn't really gone. They had just merged. But regardless… That was just her being sick right? Right?

"Any other effects will subside away anyways. Don't need to worry about it, Angel." Azulith pulled back around, "Now let's go! There's a lot of dresses to see and try out. Ooh I wish I could wear dresses like you, but they were made for you and I'm just a lowly noble compared to you."

"You're more than that. You're my best friend." Angel prodded her in encouragement as they walked along the great hallways of the Catacus castle.

Her friend purred as she nuzzled up to her, "Aw thanks!"

Angel smiled, feeling happiness and joy flooding into her as they continued their walk. They padded through the eastern atrium of the castle until the came across the eastern courtyard. A beautiful array of botanical flowers bloomed among the sunlight of the dawning sun. She moved forward to inspect the flowers. A white rose tinted by the golden sunlight stood right below her. Its prettiness was almost breathtaking, as expected from a royal flower.

Angel bent down to smell it. Its aroma was a delicate mix of morning dew and misty flowing fragrance. Azulith bent down to look and smell at it too, and she let out a purr of satisfaction, "It's just like you! How cool!"

"Yeah, it is like me." Angel smiled. Was this just how pretty she was? She didn't know why she felt so happy or curious about herself, but she wouldn't complain or question it.

"Ah… I see you're enjoying the flowers."

The pair looked up to see a brown tom, quite a bit larger than them. Still, she could tell he was young, barely more than a kit.

"My name is Hyacinthus, a tender to the eastern gardens of the castle. How can I help you your highness?" He bowed his head to her before looking at Azulith, "Mi' lady?"

Angel meekly stepped up, looking at his hazel eyes before looking back at the white rose.

"May I take that flower?" She asked with politeness that could only be described as royal.

The tom laughed at her words as if she had said something funny or wrong, "Why of course! You are the princess after all, this is basically your garden, your highness."

The tom padded up to the rose and unsheathed two claws clipping onto the rose, "Here."

His claws clamped, tearing the flower from the rest of the stem. He padded up close to her, delicately running the flower into her head, tucking it behind her right ear and fur. She felt her pelt burn up furiously as she felt the tom's paw wave through her fur. She coughed, attempting to conceal her emotions.

"Wow…" Azulith exclaimed breathless, "You look so pretty!"

She was squealing ecstatically at her. Angel tilted her head, she couldn't see herself anyways, she just had to take her friend's word for it.

"Re… Really?" She asked meekly.

"Yes! Oh you're going to blow away the nobles. They always say the first impression is the most important!" She replied squeakily, swishing her tail around rapidly.

"Oh right, this is the noble's first time actually seeing me," She mewed nervously as she tugged as her fur on her chest, "Wow… I'm quite… Excited?"

In truth she was scared and nervous, but she had to do it anyways. Better to get it run and done.

"Of course, you would be! And so, would the nobles," Azulith excitedly jumped up and down, "I'm quite lucky thought, my family in general is. We've already met you and I got to become your bestest friend!"

Angel smiled. Seeing her friend be this happy and excited, there was no need for any reason to not attend this. She would do it, even if it was only for her.

"Hmm… Yes, you do look quite stunning, I do believe you will have the lords and ladies beat by your beauty. After all, if you were any less pretty, they would certainly attempt to brag about their superior beauty in private among themselves." Hyacinthus pondered out loud, stating his thoughts to them both, "Ah but luckily that is not the case your highness. Rest assured, with your beauty, there will be none who could slander your name."

Angel smiled as he dipped his head, "Thank you, Hyacinthus."

"It is my duty to serve you anyways, your highness," He bowed once more, "I shall now take my leave once more if that is alright by you, your highness, I must tend the flowers you see."

"Um, of course." Angel responded nervously, not really knowing what to say in situations like this.

"Thank you, your highness." He meowed, retreating back into the garden.

"He was nice." Azulith commented, swishing her tail in the direction Hyacinthus had left in.

"Yeah…" Angel murmured, her heart racing from nervousness and another emotion. Another emotion she had not yet learnt. It left her heart bumping fast and her pelt burning up.

"Well that was a quick detour, but we have to hurry to the dressing rooms!" The blue kit cried as she practically began dragging Angel by her paws, "Come on!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Angel huffed, her emotions retreating back into her heart once more.

They walked along the garden's sides reaching the opposite end. Here an open doorway led to a room filled with many weird fur things embroidered with jewels, feathers and other furs. Dresses, she thought, they are dresses. There were many, coming in a myriad of different patterns with jewels and feathers aligned upon them. Other cats were in here, pretty she-cats and some handsome toms. She remembered them as so-called designers or dressers. Angel was in awe with this whole room, it was amazing. There was so much going on, exciting the young, white she-kit.

Azulith, on the other paw, was unfazed by this. She had been here many times and there were many other places with much more excitement than here. Yet to Angel, for some reason she could not think of, despite having been here before, she was still attracted to the pretty dresses and the rush of talking cats. At the sight of the princess however, the other cats stopped there work entirely and refocused all their energy on her. It was a chaotic rush as she was pushed around and played like a doll.

Coos were thrown here and there as she was put onto a pedestal as dresses were laced upon her. A yellow, laced dress placed meekly around her shoulders and chests with similar white frills running along her back won out in the end. Angel felt exhausted, it had only been two sun-clicks, yet she felt like it had gone on for about the entire day. She looked over at Azulith, she was lapping at a bowl of brown liquid in front of her. Angel vaguely recognised it as tea, a high-end commodity only for the most elite and wealthiest.

Of course, as royalty and nobility, it was no issue for them to acquire it. Azulith had been donned a violet dress that wrapped around her shoulders and chest, floating down to her front paws and back to her tail. It was matching for her fur colour and Angel felt it was safe to say that she was pretty as well. Azulith looked up and saw her staring at her. She smiled and lapped up the final droplets of the expensive liquid before jumping towards her. She grabbed something by her teeth before reaching her, dropping it by Angel's paws.

"I thought you would be hungry. Here." Azulith nudged her to the object she had dropped to her paw.

It was bread with cheese surrounding it and flakes of meat stuck to it. The sight of it made Angel's stomach rumble and her mouth water as she fixated her eyes on it. It was only at that moment she realised she hadn't eaten anything for the entire sunrise. She quickly snatched it up with her teeth and devoured it.

Its taste was fabulous. It had a rich creamy taste from the cheese paired with the lovely toughness of the meat. The bread complimented it wonderfully, pairing up the cheese with the meat nicely. It was certainly something she quickly grew fond to. A new item attuned to this royal palate of hers.

"That was delicious! Thank you, Azulith!" She purred clumping up to the blue kit in a hug.

"Heh, heh." She purred back, swiping her tail along Angel's back, "That was nothing, we're best friends after all."

That was true. They were best friends. She was happy. She didn't know why but she was. It was as if she was missing this for the entirety of a life and now had only awaken to this. But oh, how she loved this. This feeling of companionship and pampering, how could she ever have lived without it?

_**Or have you not?**_

A voice reverberated through her head as she grasped her head. She didn't understand what was going on. Pain struck through her mind as she clenched her paws tight, unsheathing her claws. Finally, it subsided, a moment of anxiety swept through her, quickly being replaced with relief. Whatever it was, it was not important. It was just an evil thought, she thought rationally.

"Hey what's going on?" Azulith asked her, a worried smile plastered on her face.

Angel blinked and she exhaled a sigh of relief, calming herself, "It was nothing Azulith. Now let's go to this tri-moon ceremony!"

Azulith jumped up and yowled, "Yeah! Let's go!"

The blue kit quickly padded out the doorway as Angel followed suit. The random voice that had spoke earlier still haunted her though, but she didn't let it stop her. After all, she thought, it was only a random voice in her head, probably an effect of her prior sickness. It was nothing to worry about. The white she kit just shook her head and smiled as her friend spun around and winked at her.

Yes…

There was nothing to worry about.

* * *

A/N: So yes, this is the first chapter. Just for clarifications, a lot of human things have been imported here as this is also a Neo AU which means that cats have progressed to have some technology. This story will be set in a medieval time period but will have some difference from human medieval time period because you know, they're cats. Anyways, rate and review and like and follow and all that stuff. Enjoy and cya!


	3. Chapter 2: The Depth

_**Chapter 2: The Depth**_

* * *

Broken. Pain. Anguish.

He was weak to the bone. Weak to his paws. What was he worth anyways?

The brown tom growled, his ears pulled back as he lashed out at the shadows surrounding him. It suffocated him like a dark cloud of poison, a dilapidating ailment. He was in so much pain.

"Get up trash!"

The voice above him yowled with authority, it screamed at his ears bringing deafening reverberations coursing through his mind.

The tom lay there on the wet, dirt ground, racked in pain from nose to tail tip. The puddle below him surrounded him with cold filth. Above, the torrential rain splattered against his matted fur, drenching them anew. He was muck, literal dirt. He knew so, they knew it.

His head was pushed deep into the muddy ground, dirtied by those above him. He struggled to lift his head back up as volleys of cackles and insults were thrown his way.

"Filthy peasant. Your father paid the ultimate price for his blasphemy and you're no different."

The tom clenched his jaws and unsheathed his claws into the freezing soft mud.

_**His father.**_

He felt no sympathy for him, no filial bond or love. He cast him away and left him to rot here like the trash he was.

He would eternally hate him for as long as he lived. His eyes squinted as darkness veiled around him, "Don't compare me with _**that filth.**_"

His words were bold and dark, an aura of angered seriousness surrounded his suspenseful speech. He would make sure no one ever talked to him about his...

He spat out the words like it was the most disgusting food he had ever tasted before, _**father.**_

He glanced back up to the two figures above him. They were peace officers. Real peaceful, he thought, what a joke.

He struggled to stand on his four paws as he glared at the pair. Both toms, strong and sturdy. It was a requirement to be tough to be able to be a peace officer and he knew he couldn't win them in a fight. He had to run, get out of here.

He started analysing his surroundings, trying to make use of every last thing here. They were in an alleyway in the Oustowns, towns that surrounded the very rim of the capital. It was a mess of random shanty homes, stone, clay and mud huts and wooden stilt buildings. Many cats that lived in these shallow places leave on the sight of the peace officers, too frightened by their presence to even stay in their own homes.

Or homes as they were so-called…

Regardless, there was no one around to help him but himself.

Tsk, the story of his life, he thought. He brought himself to face the two figures face to face. He smirked as they glared down at him. They stood proud and tall, at a far greater height than he could ever imagine being. Despite that, he put on a cocky smile for them. If there was one thing he had as an advantage over them, he knew they didn't their way around here.

He crouched low, dipping his head to the two as they began closing in on him once more to take another hit at him. As one of the pair struck out his paw to him, he found his opportunity. Striking upwards with a claw, he struck through the attacker's arm with a stunning blow. He felt an unearthly joy as the blood drawn from his strike dripped down his paw towards his shoulders like a velvet waterfall of cascading crimson. The attacker yowled as he followed suit his strike with a well-timed bite. A terrifying crack rung across the rainy alley. A broken bone at best, he thought.

The attacker dropped to the ground curled up as his companion snarled at him leaping forward. This one was stronger, more stoically built with rigid muscles lining his shoulders and chest. He knew he wouldn't be able to take this one by surprise like his prior companion. Luckily, he was filth. He dug his claws into the mud, flicking them up as the second attacker jumped forth. His claws missed his eyes but flicked mud directly into them, rendering him blind temporarily. That was all the brown tom needed. He dashed back away from them, running through the twisting and confusing maze-like alleys of the Oustowns. The pair would probably call for support and they would soon arrive, he would have to hurry if he didn't want to get caught.

He leapt onto crates that lined the main dirt pathways that rung around the Oustowns, climbing up onto the roof. The weak wooden roofs of the Oustown homes couldn't support the weight of a well-fed adult tom. Luckily, he was neither of those two things. He ran across the roofs dashing from roof to roof as he made his escape across the Oustowns. Looking down on the streets below, he could see commotion begin to stir as peace officers, probably support, called from the pair, he thought, disturbed civilian cats as they prowled through the alleys and paths below scouring for him. Most of the cats fled or hid as they saw them, others were caught up in the mix, beaten up or taken in by the peace officers.

He unsheathed his claws digging them into the wooden roofs of the homes he stood upon. They were the filth, not him, he thought. Why? Why would they do this? Hurting, inflicting pain. Was this all for their entertainment? Then he saw it.

Down below, a young, black and white she-kit, small and weak. A peace officer stood looming above her as she cowered in fear. His eyes burned with hatred at them. His claws burning up as the darkness veiled around him once more. He would never agree with his father's sentiments. But for once, he felt like he understood. He materialised in front of the assaulting cat within an instant, striking a swift claw through the attacker's chest. The impact blew the tom away, throwing him far into the wall from across the pathway. No way it hadn't alerted the others. He grimaced as he realised the events that would unfold next.

The brown tom felt exhausted. He had used up most of his magical and physical energy reserves, there was no escaping this one. He closed his eyes, accepting his fate to be. But before so…

He turned around to look behind him. The she-kit he had protected was still cowering below, frightened by him now too.

_Kits, they knew nothing about this world._

His thoughts shifted from those of kit innocence to those of anger. They would even attack kits, he thought. His fury boiled over, burning up as embers flared off from around him. They couldn't care less about others as long as they brought themselves rewarding glory.

_**What if it had been the princess?**_

His eyes burned bright crimson, a stark contrast to those of his usual blue. Just one of the side effects of using too much magic. He calmed himself down, there was no point in burning up more energy for no reason. He moved to the cowering she-kit hovering a paw over her.

The she-kit reflectively pulled away, too afraid. She didn't trust him, that was fair. Still, he thought, worry beginning to cloud his eyes recolouring them back to blue, she had to leave before they came for him.

"Go now, before the baddies arrive." He cooed at her.

The kit looked in awe at him as she silently nodded, turning away. She seemed quick to accept his words, knowing what would occur if the 'baddies' came. The she-kit seemed ready to jump back into her home when she turned around one last time, staring directly at his eyes.

"What is your nwame?" She murmured to him. Her words were slurred, an effect probably caused by her shock. The tom smiled as he dipped his head to the black and white, she-kit.

"My name is Vyne. Vyne Burrs." He extended a paw forward sliding through the wet dirt, a standard greeting of the Oustowns.

'Vyne…" The kit tasted his name, licking her lips with her tongue.

"Now go." He whispered seriously at her, authority dripping from his voice.

The kit nodded one last time before dashing back inside. Now he could only wait and pray. He sat down, looking left and right down the dirt pathways, awaiting the peace officers' arrival. As he waited, he reminiscence the better times. Or at least the better than these times, he snorted internally. He closed his eyes as he began drowning in his old memories.

* * *

"You're no fun Vyne. Let me win for once!"

That voice…

"Come on Vyne! Let's go to the woods!"

Tears began to form in his eyes as he desperately attempted to hold them back

"Vyne is weak! He doesn't know how to properly use his powers! With them, we can overthrow the king!"

He remembered this…

Alone, he was cowering. He was hiding behind his mother as his father growled at her. He didn't know why he was being shouted at, at that time. Now he knew, he grimaced.

His mother said something probably in defence of him, but he didn't remember what she said then. However, what she said, only served to anger him even further. He lashed out at his mother with a swift strike, striking her down to the ground.

She fell to the ground in pain, squirming at the strike. Vyne was scared and confused. He was only a kit then, he didn't know why this was happening. And then she was there, a velvet she-kit, his childhood friend. She came up to him and smiled, lifting him away from his father's madness and bringing them into the woods. He still remembered her voice…

"Vyne…"

"Yes?"

He always replied back to her in an instance. The concept of an instant reply to anything demanded of him was beat into by his father back then. He had always felt the pangs of his claws every time a scenario like that had occurred.

"Look at the stars."

The she-kit pointed her claw to skies above. The ripple of bright stars waved across the night sky like a great ocean, not that he had seen an ocean before of course…

The she-kit turned to him, smiling sweetly, "Look how pretty they are!"

He opened his mouth, but mute nothingness came out, he didn't remember what he had said to her. Whatever he had said, the she-kit laughed and whipped back around to the sky.

"Sometimes, I wonder if the stars meant something other than bright lights in the sky…" She murmured softly, her eyes twinkling, dancing to the sight of the stars, "Maybe, there is another world out there… One that doesn't have bad cats."

"Yeah…" He had said. He too had always wondered what would have happened if the world wasn't a one-sided system that hurt them, those who were weakest, the poorest.

"But…" She turned around sadly to him, "The way your father is trying to do it is wrong."

"Why so?" He had asked. He didn't know any better back then, he only knew he was fighting for them but also doing these acts of violent streaks he never understood, like attacking his mother.

"He hurts others too." She replied, sending a shockwave of revelation through him, "What is the point of fighting for those who are hurt if you're hurting too."

It was that point in his history that he began to truly think. Think about everything. All around him, the manipulation of his father on him, began to crumble. Collapsing the barriers that had been put up so diligently by his father. The was the point he realised, his father was wrong. She was always so smart, an excelling cat. She had grown up in the Oustowns like him, but she had the ingenuity of a scholar in the city centre. He always remembered her for that. She had been that spark that enlightened his dark world, a dark world forged by his father's evil intentions.

* * *

He opened his eyes as he heard the loud paw steps patter along the soggy dirt. A number of peace officers were arriving, he could tell from their clumsy sprinting.

_Took them long enough_.

Soon they were practically above him. A volley of smirks and growls were thrown at him, but he stayed motionless for them. Eventually, they stopped and just cackled as they pulled him up and began escorting him back to where they came from, a peace station. He couldn't fight them if he even wanted to. He had no energy left, neither physical or magical, to put up any sort of resistance. Even if he did, he was outnumbered. His magic skill was great for picking off one or two, not a dozen. He had to get stronger, he thought, gritting his teeth.

They had finally arrived at the peace station. An overshadowing building along the outskirts of the city centre, barely even reaching into the Oustowns. It makes sense, no one from the centre wanted anything to do with the Oustowns. It was just a fact of life there. Still, it was more of a blessing for them. Less activity by the elites in their towns were better for them. He was glad that this was the case.

Entering the building, he smiled. After all, you can't break something that has already been broken…

* * *

"Vyne Burr. Age: 16 moons. Elemental: Darkness." A voice announced to him from across the room. Hidden away in the shadows, the figure veiled in darkness sat before him, staring with crimson eyes across to him.

Vyne was propped up to a wall, tied down to the ground. He struggled to even look up, let alone glare at the shadowed figure. Nevertheless, he continued his act of defiance.

A dark smile lit up in the room, paw steps reverberated across the floor as the shadowed cat padded forwards, slowly towards his tied self. The paws stood just at the edge of the light in front of him, caramel fur stood regally wavering in the descending darkness, like ablaze charcoal. The she-cat revealed herself, a petite caramel she-cat with glaring red eyes piercing through his fur. A slick of her fur, shaped like an L, poked out from the right of the she-cats forehead flinging down in a fashionable flick. Sturdy and sharp yet delicate. Catching sight of the she-cat, he growled slightly in annoyance yet a sharp ripple of discomfort was sent shock waving through his spine.

"You might want to cooperate if you wish to live to see another day." She meowed casually licking her paw. His only response was a hardened glare. The she-cat frowned, sighing, moving towards the seat and table at the opposite angle from himself. Placing a flaccid paw on the table, she ran her paw along the ridges of the table, smiling to herself at his discomfort.

"It was only a matter of time before you were caught, consider yourself lucky to even have avoided this from the get-go." She loosely spoke, unsheathing her claws, sharpening them along the mahogany table.

She glanced back over to him, not a single muscle had been moved, his eyes still locked onto hers and vice versa. Her eyes widened as she straightened herself up from her lazy position, "How long are you going to just sit there for? This is supposed to be an interrogation you know?"

He finally made a move. Still as nonchalant and as apathetic as ever, "How long are you going to keep this act up?"

The she-cat smirked, a loose sigh as she giggled, "Oh well, it was fun to torment you while it lasted."

She lifted her paw and struck down fast against the chains that bound him, setting him loose, "Thanks for keeping me in these chains all this time. Do you know how uncomfortable they are?"

The caramel she-cat smiled innocently at his directed sarcasm, "Aw, I made them as comfortable as could be. Sorrrrryyyy." Dragging along her last word in a sweet but condescending tone.

All he could do in response was mutter a few expletives.

"Honestly you should be more grateful that I even came to save you. I know Crou wouldn't have. Hmm!" The she-cat said twisting her face away from his in a petty show of innocent annoyance.

Vyne sighed before smiling. She was a good actor. Moreover, she always knew how to make him smile.

"Alright," He chuckled, "You win, Mellow, let's go home."

Mellow turned back around, her fur whipping around in the dark room as she began glowing, illuminating the dark room with her fur. She smiled brilliantly at him, bright, white teeth glistening in the dark, reflecting the illuminative glow of her fur.

"Follow me!"

* * *

"I'm pretty sure I now understand why Crou wouldn't have come saved you now…"

The passageways were dark and slimy, water dribbled down the carved stone walls pooling along the rims of the passageway, filth and muck lined the floors. The stones lining the floors were cracked and many segments were broken off. It took all his willpower to stay completely cool, calm and collected. His sinuses were burning up from the reeking scent of rotten flesh from thrown out trash and excrement. However, it was the only way to sneak past any obstacle from obstructing their escape. They had to sneak past through the sewers.

"Ugh, the smell would have stuck on her fur and I'm not ready to smell such a reek from such a nice pelt," Mellow looked over at him, her eyes watering from the deathly stench, "And I can't imagine her crawling through this dump."

Vyne rolled his eyes and shook his head at her. Even in such a precarious situation, she was still… herself. Mellow always had an aura of lightness to her. She was always hyperactive yet relaxed. She was the support that everyone needed, and she loved to be so. She was the angel dust that calmed us all. Yet, as he looked over at her, dashing through the passageway with no regards to the word, stealth, he wondered if it was the best idea to have her be the one to lead him.

"You know this is a stealth mission, right?" He muttered out loud to her.

Mellow turned around with a radiant smile, lighting up the darkness of the sewer, "Yeah… but what's a little fun with no danger?"

Vyne sighed before exhaling with relief. He was happy that Mellow was still as carefree as ever. The day Vyne would see Mellow sad… That would be the day everything broke apart…

Still deep in thought, with his head down, a sudden, bedazzling light ricocheted off every wall around him as he glanced back upwards towards the blinding flash. His eyes were stinging from the sudden burst of light as he yelped, jumping backwards and covering his eyes with his paws, blinking into them.

An outburst of laughter was all he could hear. A hysterical fit of coughs and chuckles, "What was that?!"

As Vyne's eyes got adjusted to the new light that was funnelling in from the gap in the tunnel, the exit of the sewers, he looked to his right to see a tumbling Mellow rolling around in the filth and muck, hacking up in a fit of laughter as she desperately gasped for her depleting air.

"Your yelp… you falling backwards… I can't breathe!"

Vyne's eyes flashed in irritation as he growled at her, "Come on! Let's not waste any more time!"

Mellow's only response was another outburst of hysteria as he clenched his eyes in annoyance. Finally, Mellow righted herself, still giggling to herself, she followed him outwards towards the exit of the sewer, more than prepared to leave this hell hole of burning stench.

The pair pushed through a curtain of vines that lined the roof of the exit of the sewer. Sludge and muck lined their feet as they dashed through the opening in haste, desperate to escape. A flash of light surrounded him as he burst out into a clearing, a pond of filth at their feet. Vyne winced at the sewage he was half-deep in as he crawled his way out. He turned back to check on Mellow, seeing her eyes widen in disgust as her nose scrunched up. Still, they didn't complain as they pushed through the thick, brown and green liquid towards land.

He looked around at his surroundings, observing the current environment they were in. Trees lined the pond, a good distance away from the filth as they should be. A light breeze blew through, leaves wavering in the wind. The grass was slightly stained brown by the pond's liquid as it bowed downwards from a dash of wind meandering through. The light shone gentle warmth along their backs, spreading the heat through their bodies. A calm, enticing feeling reverberated through Vyne as he became washed over with energetic jitters, the electricity of the warmth revitalising him.

The burning light took some time to get used to for Vyne. After being cloaked in the darkness for a few sun-clicks, this light heated his vision up as he blinked trying to alleviate the discomfort of the piercing light. He waved this off with a swish of his tail as he staggered out of the pool of muck. Mellow pulled out of the pool, right behind him as she panted, looking despairingly at him.

"My pelt's ruined now!" She wailed, her eyes watering with fake tears.

Vyne glanced up at the sky in exasperation as Mellow grinned jokingly, "Teehee."

Vyne breathed in the fresh air, relieved to clear his nose of the disgusting stench of the filthy pool. And then he felt it. The breeze fluctuated rapidly, whipping around. He squinted his eyes through the hurricane of leaves and sticks, thrown around in the rapid wind, attempting to sense where the magic had come from.

"Over there." Mellow yowled through the rushing wind, pointing a paw ahead of her, her caramel fur being pulled up by the draft, her ears were pulled back as she put a paw over her one open eye in a desperate attempt to block the wind lashing at her face.

He looked in front of her, towards where she had pointed. A grey figure padded through the wavering trees of the forest, his yellow eyes piercing towards the pair. A chill reverberated throughout him as he shivered. His paws shaking at the immense power radiating from him. The wind curved around him as if ignoring him on command. The figure made his way to the clearing they were in, standing in front of them, glaring with blazing, sun-like irises directly down onto them as they collapsed from the immense pressure of the wind.

Vyne gasped as the air was ripped away from his lungs. Struggling to look up as his vision began blurring, only one thought raced through his mind.

Who was this monster?!

* * *

After Chapter Information:

Mellow

Fur: Caramel

Eyes: Red

Magic: Light Element. Her signature ability is her use of light magic to disguise herself. She can use light magic to make basically bend a mirage around her which confuses her for other cats. This is so effective that even her own friends get fooled by it.

* * *

A/N: Nothing much for me to say. OC submits are open if you wish to message me. Unfortunately I've been less active but I'll try to get back into my stories sooner or later.


	4. Chapter 3: The Tri-Moon Ceremony

_**Chapter 3: The Tri-Moon Ceremony**_

* * *

Angel's eyes bulged as she squealed. In front of her was the most magnificent sight she had ever seen. Stretched out for as far as her eyes could see, the grand city was shimmering gold as the sun set upon the vast, sprawling city. Its expanse dazzled at her, a jewel in her eyes. White-washed homes sprinkled within the city, a splash of wooden houses sprawling throughout the plains. The carved, smooth stone of the city walls, far and blurry from her view. Iconic landmarks standing out to her as she took in the breathtaking view. She stood on top of all of that, at the peak of a tall mountain, The Grand Mountain, as it was called. The castle lay magnificently overhanging the city, and as the sun set, it cast its shadow over the city. She was awe-struck. She had never seen such grace and elegance before. From the golden drapes running down the temple at the base of the mountain, its elegant cloth wavering down to the ground like the wings of a jay to the grandiose view of the sea that's gentle waves and soft breeze brought the scent of salt and sand to her nose. Her eyes closed as she took in the aroma of this colossal city, the warm, mild wind of the high mountain snatching her breath away as she exhaled, a wave of calm liveliness washed throughout her.

To her, this was her everything. A city that for as far as her eyes could see, was dotted with marble, stone or wooden buildings, lavishly set out. The elegant streets slithering through it all. Bridges over the few rivers passing through the city. It was her world she had only known. Yet to her, it never failed to make her squeal at the absolute magnitude of brilliance the metropolis presented to her. The picturesque sky reflecting on the azure bay, the night lights that shone up as the city descended into the soft, evening darkness. The wide boulevards that streaked across the city and its many alleyways that elaborately curved and twisted throughout the innumerable buildings. The imposing landmarks of the holy, quartz and marble temple, the great, black-stone spire and many more that boggled her mind. She was all but mute to the marvels of this wondrous city. The city of stars as it was called, Stellar City.

It was on this day she would be bestowed the crest of royalty. The tri-moon ceremony. She vaguely remembered the rush of the morning and noon. The dresses she tried on the daze and confusion that spun her mind, whipping her back and forth as she struggled to even think. Somewhere then, she had asked why this was such an important event to such a degree that they had to ruff-tuff with her. She vividly remembered the stunning shock that presented itself on her tender's faces, quickly wiped off as they patiently explained the purpose. It was a celebration to their gods above, in the stars and the moon. They would bestow their holy gift onto her, the moonlight and starlight would converge, and she would, within her, bear the crest of royalty. A magical signature they said, one that transcended the simple boundaries of the common magus. She had no idea what was said at that moment, all she remembered was a dazed nod as she filed away the information for later.

Now, reminiscing on that, she realised its importance it would play on her. She was royalty, she would be branded as such within her. Anxiety filled her paws as her paws jittered at the thought of the ritual that was to be performed on her and her body. She shook it off as she soothed her nerves, the ceremony was tonight. Yet all she could think about was the frightening thoughts of the event in front of her. It wasn't just the excitement and rush of her ritual up ahead, but also of the prospect of revealing herself to the nobles and peoples of the city and the kingdom for the first time. From the moment she had been born, they had known of her, but they'd never seen her. Her mind was racing as she struggled to cobble up coherent thoughts. Would they be judging her? What if she wasn't up to their standards? What would they think of her? All these scenarios flashed through her mind, the nightmarish daydreams of rejection by society, thoughts of people shunning her, their laughter ringing across the ballroom as they spoke loudly about her failed qualities, "This is the princess? What a joke, we should all be princesses at this rate."

Her wallows were only interrupted by her head being rung back and forwards like a bell. She turned around to face Azulith as she huffed in annoyance, pouting at her as she twisted her head away.

"How long are you going to stand there? I can't keep hiding you away from the prying of the castle staff. They need you to be in position."

Angel blinked as she shook herself, smiling back at her best friend, "Sorry I was just lost in my thoughts and the view of the city."

They both looked out towards the city as it lit up with flares and twinkled of sparkling, bight, luminous light. Their faint white and orange tinge, illuminating the night sky. It's bedazzling illumination waving across the city, casting dim shadows across the countless buildings that dotted the sea that was the city. She smiled sweetly at the scene as she saw the light shattering through the dark, so much so that she could see the colouration of the marble homes, the trees and flowers of the parks that were sprinkled across the city, meandering along the banks of lit up rivers.

Azulith's eyes were sparkling too, "Pretty…"

Angel smiled at her response. She swung around and brushed her shoulders against her friend's, "Come on now then, let's go. Can't keep everyone waiting, can we?"

Azulith snapped out of it. The trance-like nature of the city, having encapsulated even her in a bubbly cloud of serenity, being popped. She shook her head as she nodded to her, following her as the pair re-entered the castle, from the polished, quartz balcony they stood on.

The torches illuminated with flickering, light magic. Crystalline brilliance filtered through the hallways. Its light shone as bright and as warm as the sun itself, embracing the castle with an elegant glittering, whiteness.

They pathed through the winding hallways down a magnificently wide set of stairs towards the ground floor. The maids and butlers greeted her. They had been dressed in finesse clothe in accordance to the importance of this event. The butterflies in her stomach worsened the further they walked. Each step, another shockwave of jitters reverberating throughout her body. She steeled herself, preparing herself.

The ominous magnitude of the palace walls frightened her. It was her home, yet she felt so unfamiliar with it. It's huge, towering windows and it's long, glittery decorated hallways with flowers and mosaics of jewels and gold, just struck at her mind. She felt weak to it, as if it were something she wasn't used to.

In front of her stood a grandeur door, a gateway out to the ballroom. From her steps down, she would arrive, ready to await the guests that would soon come crashing in. Her heart fluttered as her eyes dashed nervously across from side to side.

Azulith looked over at her flustered friend with concern. Placing a paw over her shoulders and nodding silently to her, "Don't worry, I'll be there for you. It'll be fine, just you watch."

Angel nodded back in response as she clenched her paws, unsheathing her tiny paws for a mere second before retracting them, the pressure alleviated from her mind. She padded forth with renewed confidence, ready to take on the ensuing wave of guests flooding in to meet her.

It'll be fine, she repeated her friend's quote repeatedly in her head.

It'll be fine.

It'll be fine.

It'll be fine…

The tedious steps down the stairs were the hardest. Down towards the ballroom and the grand doorway leading from the doors down to the ballroom floor below. She swept down onto the ground, landing elegantly on the chilled marble floor. Tracing the mosaic pattern, she made her way towards the palace entrance, up towards the throne room, sweeping pass the bouquet of flowers locked to the sides, a canopy of leaves forming a decorative, internal garden along the walls.

Padding through the archway of the throne room, she made her way up towards her parents. She looked up, a snow-white she-cat, sharing the same dappling silver on white patterns that she did. Her eyes, flashing amber, her long fur stretching down from her head to tails. Swirling configurations seem to appear along her body like twinkling stars. Yes, that was where her name came from. Equinox, the Queen of Catacus, the Night Princess. She looked over to her right, to whom her mother was talking to. Her father, Solaris, standing tall and proud with his fiery, musky orange mane and sparkling ruby eyes, that she shared with him.

They were discussing something in a hurry, seriousness dripping from their voices. They had not noticed her. Bowing her head down, avoiding contact with them, she slipped by them. They were busy, she understood, best to stay out of their way. Yet Azulith sent a pitiful gaze at her way, she was no doubt thinking about how her parents had ignored her. Angel shook her head, they didn't hate her, they just were rushing to get the final preparations for her ceremony done. It was of utmost importance, to them and to herself.

The pair made their way across the room towards the grand hallway leading up from the entrance to the castle, up to the throne room. It was decorated with pretty, luminous torches were put up along the sconces lining the walls. They flickered with colourful embers, ranging from soothing purple to raging red. Glass mosaics and cold quartz surrounded them, building up the hallway. It was a sight to marvel at. The pair's eyes glimmered as they both let out a synchronised squeal.

A festive event was about to occur, the gates of the palace would drop. Noble cats and high members of society would flood in. A party, a festival then the grand finale. The ceremony. All eyes would be on her, all smiles would be for her. She could not get over this single fact as her legs began to wobble. Azulith's eyes widened as she collapsed to the floor, energy sapped away from her feet as her mind raced with terrifying thoughts. Her nightmares, they were coming back to haunt her.

_No, no, no!_

Her eyes dilated as images flashed before her eyes, her vision wavering. Her thoughts were going wild as her friend desperately tried to calm her down, to no avail. Angel couldn't even hear her, her voices dissipating into the watery echoes in her ears. She felt as if her mind was about to explode.

"Steel yourself…"

A single voice rang out through all the turmoil.

A voice she had never heard before, yet it was oh so familiar to her.

Her mind began calming down, her racing thoughts ground to a halt as her vision stopped wavering. She waited for more of the soothing words to sound in her ears, but nothing more followed. Yet its effect left a lasting tingle in her mind. One sharp inhale later, she stood back on her feet. Azulith's face flustered and in complete anxiety. Angel placed her tail on her friend's back.

"Don't worry, I'm fine now. Just a panic attack, that's all…"

She was swiftly cut off from a crying Azulith, leaping at her, shoving her down to the ground, "Just a panic attack?!"

Her eyes blinked away the painful teardrops that shimmered down her face. Her whiskers met hers as they both stared at each other, one in anger and anxiety and another in confusion and shock.

"You were shaking and crying on the floor. That was not just a panic attack!" She screamed at her, her voice crackling, cutting through Angel's skin as her feelings penetrated her core.

"Maybe I was right. You could be ill! We need to get you to a doctor now!" She grabbed her shoulders by her paws as she yowled at her face. Dipping her head, she whispered sadly, "I don't want to see you looking so pitiful on the floor, crying in desperation ever again."

Angel blinked, not completely aware of what to do in this situation, "Um… Look, it's ok now. I'm sorry for worrying you."

Azulith looked back up slowly, her frown having turned into a sweet smile as her tears began drying from her eyes, "Don't be. You must be so scared. You must be so much more worried."

"But don't worry," She continued, her red eyes hardening with steely resolve, "I'll be there for you, and we'll get through this together."

Angel's eyes widened. For a moment, her heart ached. She didn't understand why. Something was pulling her away from this, separating her from this reality. It was as if she could not understand this world she was surrounded by or the cats around her. It felt oh so foreign to her. She could not empathise with her best friend. She did not understand the importance, the worry of all these cats around her. And she did not understand why.

Yet, as usual, she played the façade. A smile stretched across her face as she nodded, "Thanks."

* * *

The clinking of glass on glass, the ringing of porcelain. Angel watched in awe as every cat she saw wielded magic on their cutlery and utensils, their cups and bowls. The magic they possessed allowing them to use items that without, would not be possible to use. Laughter and cheers rang across the courtyard as noble toms and noble she-cats danced across the ballroom inside. She stood along the balcony, alone. Azulith had gone to be with her family. As nobles, they no doubt had come to the ceremony, even if it wasn't for their daughter being here. Angel smiled to herself, in longingly, she felt somewhat lonely without her despite the vast number of others just a few fox-tails lengths away. Looking out towards the starry city yet again, her gaze scanned across the glowing city. Her sightseeing once again discovering something new.

It had been a rough first sun-click. As the setting evening sun layered dusk across the sky, the palace windows illuminated with multicolour flares, flashing across the sky above. Virtually every cat, noble or other, had come to see her, leaving her drained and exhausted. Yet she felt fine, the anxiety and fear of everyone's opinions alleviated. They were all over her, complimenting her texture, her fur, her eyes and her tails. The dresses she wore, even the colour of her claws. Some part was no doubt due to her position, but even then, she felt reassured and reinvigorated. Her eyes blazing with promise and ambition, ready to take on the world.

This confidence was what she needed, the moment came drawing closer and closer. Her ritual was soon to occur. The strength of her resolve was soon to be tested. Even now, her paws were itching to bolt away. Escape away from everyone far, far away. Perhaps into the city? Her only thought now was the fleeting wish to ravel herself in the cloak that was the vastness of this city.

_Ding ding ding!_

Three light rings of a bell brought her attention snapping back around her, looking towards a butler using magic to ring a bell. His paws held high to grab the attention of all.

"Everyone, everyone! The ritual is about to begin. Please get yourselves prepared as we start the ritual by High Lake!" The butler yowled at loud to all.

The masses cheered as the crowds rushed towards the bank of the castle lake, elevated up high upon the mountain. Angel let out a sigh, no turning back now.

A maid made her way towards her, her elegantly silky, silver fur matching well with the black and white uniform she donned. She bowed her head at her as she brushed past her, whispering softly, "We need to get you ready as well, Princess."

She nodded silently, understand that she did not have much of a choice but to go with it. She breathed out heavily before puffing out her chest confidently, following the maid as she brought her along towards the directions the crowds were heading to.

They padded along the flowerbeds and the hedges. Along decorative ponds with lily pads and water reeds. The soft hum of bees and the rhythmic croaks of the frogs, tearing her away from her concentration, so much so that she did not even notice the sudden, tense stop of her maid, knocking into her.

Rubbing her nose, she staggered up, only to be pushed back down by the maid, "Shush."

The silver she-cat's eyes were dashing around as her claws unsheathed, displaying a vicious assortment of brightly lit colours, dyed directly on her claws. Angel's eyes widened as she kept her mouth shut, "Princess when I tell you to run, run to the High Lake. Ok?"

Angel began shivering with fear at the maid's tone. The seriousness and savagery not even attempted to be disguised. She could only stand there, feet frozen to the grassy ground below, terror rippling under her pelt.

"Ok?!" The she-cat whispered aggressively at her once again.

Angel nodded swiftly, not understanding what was going on. The she-cat returned to glaring at the hedges and the reeds as she loudly sniffed the night breeze. Her eyes shot wide open as she yowled directly at her ears, "Run!"

Angel took off in a bolt, sparing only one glance backwards. She saw a single flash of claw on claw as her eyes widened, her mind completely breaking down in incomprehension. Still, she followed the maid's orders, dashing straight towards the lake, not looking back, as her unnoticeable tears streaked down along her face, confusion gripping at her mind, threatening to tear the young she-cat's mind apart.

The burst out into the High Lake, through a string of hedges and flowers. The surprise on the nearby butler would have been comical to her had she been thinking straight. The butler quickly shook off his surprise as he led her along the stone pathways of the lake. Angel could but only follow his lead as her racing mind struggled to comprehend what had just happened. Cheering crowds egged her on as the butler led her directly towards a podium set up in the midst of the lake, connected only to the rest of the land by a narrow, wooden bride. Her heart pounded as she realised the ceremony was already occurring. Her vision blurred as the butler left her in the centre of the lake, returning towards land, drifting ever so further away from her. Her vision began blurring with anxiety again as she felt her paws grow weak. That was until she saw her. Waving her tail vigorously at her, Azulith smiled widely while cheering her on with her energetic yowls.

At that moment, all her uncertainty, worries and even the incomprehension of what had happened with the maid, washed away. Serenity replacing it as she basked in the glowing light that began dappling down onto the podium she was on. The lake began radiating with warmth as it glowed gold. Her eyes began drooping as her mind completely fell away, all thoughts washing away.

The heat of the light pierced through her heart as she breathed in the warming air. Her closed eyes blazed yellow as the light pierced through her shut eyes. The wind whistled in her ears, whispering unintelligible words. She strained her ears hearing it but before she could listen to the whispers, streaking pain struck the left side of her face as excruciatingly hot sears burrowed into her head. She collapsed to the floor, opening her eyes, only to find her right eye responding, her left eyes unable to open. The pain completely engulfed her left side of her face as yowls and screams reverberated across the river, the rapid pattering of feet echoing towards her. Attempting to scream, she realised her voice was lost to the pain. She fell to the podium floor, curling up into a ball as her face blazed in tearing pain. In a sudden explosion of hot, swelling agony, her head fell back onto the cool floor of the podium, the pain irradiating away. She heard the footsteps clearly now instead of echoes, as if she was underwater, raising her head towards them.

The crowd had made it to her, gasping as they saw her state. Shock was plastered across the faces of her parents as they began to shake. Azulith broke down, collapsing to the floor as tears reeled down her face. Angel attempted to speak but only a croak got out as she struggled to move any of her limbs. Her father, his face grim but unwavering padded up to her, the crowd still silent, unsure what to make of this situation. Her father grasped her scruff solemnly, carrying her as he dragged her along. Her pants rang across the silent crowd as cats closed eyes with paws and tails. She felt her fears beginning to creep back into her mind as she shakily raised her paw to her face. Up towards her left side of her face, to her left eye. Or should she say, eye socket. For there she felt it, a hollow eye, dry and without an eyeball. The heat even evaporating the blood away. Her screams lost to the darkness that overshadowed her, flooding her into a deep coma. No doubt the work of magic. Someone forcing her asleep, perhaps for the sake of medical care.

The terror broke into her brain, eating away her mind as her internal screams reverberated throughout her body. Despite that, a flash of light illuminated the darkness in her mind, driving away even the monsters that lurked in her mind, in the darkness of her misty memories and void feelings of empathy. She felt calm in the blackout now as she felt her spirit retracing its way back to her body. The feelings of her reality and mind torn away, no more. So even as her unconscious body was carried across the banks of the High Lake, a small smile stretched itself across her face.

* * *

After Chapter Information:

Azulith

Fur: Light blue

Eyes: Ruby

Magic: N/A (Hasn't developed yet)

Equinox

Fur: White fur with silver patterns

Eyes: Amber

Magic: Unknown

Solaris

Fur: Orange with fiery streaks

Eyes: Ruby

Magic: Unknown

* * *

A/N: The ending may be hard to understand. Basically, Angel is the only one of the six retaining some form of her past self in her body, however, now she is no longer retaining her past self, having been torn away from her body. There are some other things that will be soon discovered that stems from this ritual/ceremony, so keep watch. Anyways that's it for now! OCs welcome, PM me!


	5. Chapter 4: Thirst for Blood

_**Chapter 4: Thirst for Blood**_

* * *

Vyne crouched down. He felt the immense magic power overpowering him, the wind pressuring him down to the ground rendering him unable to move. The grey figure glared at them from above, his eyes dark, grim and intense. His claws spiralled with magical energy, stormy silver shadows trailing from his paws. Vyne gulped, he knew this guy was trouble and no doubt way stronger than even both of them combined.

The grey cat smiled in a menacing way, bending down to meet them eye to eye. Lazily he took a gander behind Vyne, looking at his female companion, "You two, really thought you could outsmart the royal peace officers? What fools!"

He whipped around, displaying the magical stamp that ran down along his back, a mark signifying his allegiance to the royal guards. Vyne's eyes widened at the sight. Running along the stamp was marks and stripes, displaying distinguishing his rank. His mark displayed a unique symbol of two crosses with a crown layered above it.

_Special Forces!_

Vyne shook as his face was plastered to the floor, a flood of darkness causing tears to run down his face as he began shaking, not from the wind or the immense pressure but of an emotion he had not felt for many moons. Terror.

The special forces, a fearsome attachment of the royal guards handpicked and granted permission from the king. Their skill and magical prowess, well known throughout the kingdom and even beyond. Their only hope now was to cower, beg or pray.

The grey cat shifted his body, looking back at the pair as he continued, "I'm not one to gloat so don't worry about being belittled. What I want is for the kingdom to be undefied, in all its name and glory! And those who will..."

Suddenly the cat squinted, his yellow eyes scanning across his body trying to discern who he was. Vyne stood completely still, ready to accept his fate. He knew almost every cat would know who he was, son of the revolutionary, the leader of a forbidden cult for power. The wind whipped violently around the silver cat as his eyes burnt up with rage, his yellow eyes tinted golden by the flames of magic igniting within his irises.

"You're!"

The tom was cut off as a yowl hollered out into the clearing, a tiny flash of black barrelled into the silver tom knocking him off his feet as he took in a sharp intake of breath, coughing out blood from the strength of the impact, falling back down to the ground in a stagger. He let out a yowl of pain as he fell to rough ground, rolling down into the thick leaves. The violent winds ground to a halt as the pressure disappeared, allowing the pair to rise from their position on the dusty grounds of the muck-filled pond's bank.

Vyne looked up to the dark, miniature ball of fur standing directly in front of him, his eyes widening.

"Crou?! Wait no…"

The dark she-cat smiled as her eyes flashed red, flicking a hidden blade from between her paws, pulling it back. The dagger was aligned along her right 'arm' (foreleg), from her paws to her elbows, fixed by a strap to her foreleg. Her gaze locked onto the grey tom, who was already back on his paws, glaring down his adversary. 'Crou' smiled, her blade locked into position as she rushed her opponent. Catching him off guard, the grey tom jumped back using his wind magic to gain greater momentum. The sadistic she-cat was fast however, managing to just nick a small cut on his shoulders, cutting off a small tuft of his fur. The grey cat snarled, lifting his paw. The breeze rushed towards his paw, gathering in his right arm. The jet-black fur of Crou stopped rippling as the air around her came to a standstill. Vyne's eyes widened, the yellow of his iris wavering as he realised that the grey tom had pulled away all the wind from around them. He struggled to stand, crawling towards Mellow as she lay on her back, completely drained.

Crou looked unimpressed at the tom's actions, dashing forth again with a volley of flashing strikes against her grey opponent. The tom dashed back, dodging each strike as the she-cat's strikes grew more and more ferocious. Finally, with a swift thrust, Crou pierced forward in an attempt to strike at his abdomen as he jumped back.

Clang!

Vyne's head twisted back towards the fight, away from his tending of Mellow. A holographic light, blue blade floated in front of the cloudy, grey tom, dividing the two, having parried the dagger. Crou jumped back, her eyes darkening significantly. A sneer stretched across the grey tom's face as the blue blade slashed forward at her. The she-cat stretched her left arm forth, displaying another blade, flicking it back to lock along her left foreleg. Her eyes flashed with devilish malice as an evil grin dashed across her face. Charging forth, she used her left arm to deflect the blue, magic blade as she leapt forward, twisting her right arm back as she thrust her blade straight at the tom.

The tom's eyes widened as he saw the rapidly approaching threat. Stamping his paw, he sent out a wave of wind at her, knocking Crou back a good few cat-tails length. Quickly, she recovered, prepared to charge at her opponent yet again. The pair stood still, both staring at each other, ready for the other's next move.

The tension in the air was palpable as the atmosphere darkened significantly. Vyne gulped as he saw the pair eye each other up. He felt his dissipated energy beginning to return to him as he got to feet, ready to support the dark she-cat. Instead, an intense sudden glance was shot at him from Crou, the red, blazing eyes, warning him to stand down. One glance, that was all it took.

The blue blade charged forward, catching the dark she-cat off guard as she desperately twisted around to face it. But it was too late, the blade struck her shoulder, sending her flying directly into the tree behind her, a terrifying crack ringing out across the clearing. The tree began shattering, its wood splintering sending shrapnel across the clearing. As the dust settled, a slumped over she-cat lay there, dazed. The dark she-cat coughed, splatters of blood volley through the air. Crimson blood pooled at her feet as she lifted her head up to glare at the grey tom. The grey tom rose up, padding towards his defeated foe. Bending down, he charged magical energy to his claws, prepared to end her life. Vyne couldn't watch this, covering his eyes with a whimper, he prepared for the worst.

The leaves rustled; the birds continued their singing. After a good few seconds, he lifted his paws from his face. The tom had taken a few steps away from her, his back turned towards them. Vyne blinked in shock, unsure why he hadn't bothered to kill them off.

The grey tom suddenly stopped, the glow of the setting sun dappling down onto him, making his pelt shimmer silver. He turned around to face him, his eyes soft and nonchalant, "I'm not going to kill you or detain you. The princess' tri-moon is today. I'd rather not miss it."

With that, he left. The breeze returning to normal as the grey tom disappeared within the trees, out towards the direction of the inner-city boundaries. Crou lifted her head from her place, slumped by the shattered tree, a soft growl forming in her throat, "Did I just get spared by an enemy?!"

She smashed her paws onto the ground, a wave of dirt and sand sent flying in every direction from the force of the impact, "The nerve of that tom!"

Vyne turned his attention towards the black she-cat, her wounds were severe. Blood ran down her dark fur, a large gaping hole was left on her shoulder from where the blade had struck and a line of bruises ran down her back, no doubt from the impact against the tree. He grimaced, it was bad, but she would live.

"Um, Crou, can you stay in that form? I doubt 'Crou' Crou could handle the pain." He worried, pleading with her. The she-cat just gave him a death glare, her claws unsheathing, blood painting each claw crimson.

"_**I am Crou,**_" She uttered out darkly, "It doesn't matter which you think is the 'real' her, we're both Crou and I'll slit your throat next if you don't understand that."

Her eyes were ablaze with fury as he took a step back, gulping, "Ah, acknowledged."

Her red eyes narrowed significantly as she growled out in a mutter, "That damn tom, I'll get him."

She pressed both her forelegs down, her blades having retracted back to their hidden position within her wrists, having been shrunken down. With both forelegs firmly on the ground, she pushed herself up, her own battered and bruised body not even bothering her. She stared at where the tom had left to, slowly limping towards there. Vyne could not stand to watch this, with a defiant yowl, he placed a paw on her shoulder, holding her back, "Look at your condition! Don't go!"

Crou flashed him her eyes, crimson and dark, the intention to kill irradiating from around her, "Let go."

Her two words were uttered with such intense force and malice that it took all of his willpower to resist and hold on, "Stop, take a breath, rest up and recuperate."

The she-cat glared at him, flicking a blade towards his neck, "I'm not 'your' Crou, I will not hesitate to kill you."

Vyne let go, put defiantly stood up, "This isn't about you being Crou or not, this is about you being safe and healthy."

The brown tom sighed as he dipped his head slowly, "Look. Just rest for now. And if you really want to kill him, we'll go at night. I can't stop you, but I'm sure as hell not letting you die on us."

The dark she-cat just stared silently at him, her eyes still flashing with anger, however, the aura of malice dissipated as she growled at him, "Fine."

The she-cat made her way back to the shattered tree, laying down. She continued to shoot daggers at him with her eyes as he padded back towards Mellow. The caramel she-cat struggled to pull herself up as she moaned in exhaustion.

"Ouch."

Twigs, leaves and pebbles were strung through the caramel she-cat's fur. Her coat was painted brown from dirt streaks left there by the wind. Her eyes were rolling back and forth as she stood up in a daze, staggering a few steps before promptly collapsing back down to the ground.

He sighed, his eyes brimming with concern as he sat down over her, looking towards a slumped Crou, eyes closed but still combat prepared, and a keeled over Mellow, physically and magically exhausted.

He too was tired, but he couldn't sleep as he mulled over their next possible actions. Crou would no doubt want to go into the capital, chasing after the tom who had made a fool out of her. That would probably mean having to sneak into the castle as he had said he was intending the tri-moon ceremony. Vyne's head panged with the agony of his thoughts, no matter how much he tried to think of a way out of this, there was no way. There was no way to convince Crou otherwise, no way to break in without being acknowledged and probably killed and no way to even get revenge on that grey tom. Yet what was he to do, he was but young cat with little experience with his powers who couldn't fathom his closest friends dying on him.

He closed his eyes, his thoughts turning exhaustive as his negativity built up within him, pessimism forcing him to sleep. His heart ached as he tried desperately to think of a way out of this. But there was none. He would follow Crou into the capital, get caught attempting to break into the castle and fall to that grey tom, a loyal follower of the kingdom, a valiant defender of his post. For all that that grey tom was, what was himself? Just a little well-known son of an insurgent runaway. And with that, his mind darkened, losing consciousness. He fell to the ground, giving in to the desires of sleep.

* * *

A wave of stars fluttered through the darkness above, painting the night sky with a cornucopia of constellations. The soft breeze whipped through the canopy of the forest, its wind lightly rustling the rusty leaves of fall. The moonlight began dappling down into their clearing they lay in, its soft shine awakening the brown tom. He blinked his eyes multiple times, attempting to drain the warm charm of sleep away from his mind. He pulled himself up as he looked back over towards Crou. Her eyes were still open, still piercing the spot her adversary had fled from. The bruises and wounds she had, barely healing as he grimaced. Unable to look at the multitude of wounds bore on her body, he turned away looking down at his feet, at Mellow. Her face was plastered with the joy of sleep, a small smile on her face as she made yelps of glee in her sleep. A small smile formed on his face as he saw the pleasant scene. Still, he knew there was no time to waste. The only possible chance of their plan to succeed was to strike now, the ceremony being their distraction to break in.

As he mulled over his plan, revising it one last time, a lingering at the back of his mind struck out at him, grasping his thoughts. Crou wouldn't do this. Yes, this Crou and her sadistic nature would no doubt break into a castle just for the sake of revenge. But even then, they were a combined cat. Both her sadistic personality and her 'normal' one would have to have a united goal from this. His mind went numb as he realised this, but there was nothing to be done from this revelation. Unless he knew her actual goal, there was nothing to do but follower her. She wouldn't care if he ditched her, in fact she'd be ecstatic. The only way forth, was to follow and figure out what it was that she really wanted. His eyes squinted at the black she-cat.

_What was it that you really want?_

With a sigh, he cleared his minds of his thoughts, looking back down at the caramel she-cat at his feet. Prodding her with a paw, she slowly began waking up from her deep sleep, with some mild protest of course. The annoyed yet awake she-cat murmured colourful words at him as she got up, her fur tangled up in a mess.

"Let's get ready."

Mellow blinked in utter shock, "Wait you were serious? We're breaking into the castle?"

She paced around in anxiety at that thought, her breathing accelerating. Vyne looked back over towards Crou, her shallow eyes revealing nothing. Turning back towards the stressing she-cat, he put a paw on her shoulder, looking into her cherry eyes with a calm demeanour, "Look we just need to let Crou have her fun and then escape. Crou being mad is all the energy she needs to kill."

He had abstained from telling the caramel she-cat about his doubts of an ulterior motive, nonetheless, the she-cat nodded as she calmed down slightly, before nodding her head, "Ok. But just for your information, I'm not going to fight them. If anything happens, I'm out first thing."

"We'll all be out." He responded, his eyes blazing with persistence.

Crou padded towards them, up from her resting place by the shattered tree, "Let's go."

Vyne closed his eyes one last time before opening them, a new resolve burnt into his irises. He wanted to keep his friends safe. He wanted to help Crou with whatever it is she needed, though he knew she would never tell him if she could. He wanted to calm Mellow down, reassuring her that nothing will go wrong. And he would achieve that, through his resolve and persistence, his never-ending resilience. Even if it meant taking on a castle of foes.

The trio made their way through the trees, dashing through the forest towards the castle, the brushes racing past them in a blur as their paws sprinted through the soft grass of the forest floor. Racing by the riverbanks of the forest, Vyne felt the soft bank mud seep into his paws, the softness comforting him. He was reminded yet again of that kit. The velvet she-kit. The comfort of the mud, familiar. And with that he was drowned once again in his memories.

* * *

The snow dusted down from the cloudy sky, the wind rippling with a frigid breeze. The cries of joyful kits as they skipped through the snow, their newly acquire magic allowing them to throw snowballs at each other. They played in the snow, happily frolicking in the bright whiteness of glee.

But that wasn't for him. Looking to his side, he looked into her eyes. The velvet she-kit never developed her magic. She was a null-born, a cat born without magic. He felt despair for her, she was always discriminated, called useless, weak and a burden for them. Their group despised her and all he could do was whimper day after day as she was abused both physically and emotionally, socially isolated from most and made to feel despair. Even then, as he cried for her, she smiled back at him. She had never let the pain get to her, never let the abuse break her. She always dreamed of one day meeting the cats of the stars and so she never cried. She would always say, those who cry won't ever meet the cats of the stars, so I'll never cry no matter how hard it becomes.

And that was what widened his eyes to the world. Why would he cry for her, when she didn't cry for herself? She was always positive, always happy. And what made her truly sad, was him being sad for her. She never wanted to see him despair and likewise, he never wanted to see her hurt. It was at that moment, he picked himself up, always looking forwards. He remembered then, as the snow began drizzling down slowly and as the others yowled as the hounded each other with more snow.

She looked over at him, her eyes brimming with happiness. She told him that she was happy for him, happy he could use magic, happy he could be free from pain and happy that his father was slowly getting prouder of him. That was the least of his wants, he didn't care much for his father that had been the source of his greatest pain for his life up till then, but her words were still encouraging. Once his magic began flourishing, she had been there, her eyes glazing over his dark flames as her eyes glittered. He remembered it vividly, the first words in her reaction, "Pretty~"

But when darkness loomed over his life and his despair came flooding back, the abuse of her, the torturous training his father set for him or the mocking of other kits, his magic was but just a reminder of pain and gloom. Yet it was what she said here that stood out the most, that stuck with him until now.

She was breathing in the clear, refreshingly soothing, cool air. Exhaling, she looked over to him, "The snow is pretty isn't it?"

Unsure what to say, he responded awkwardly, "Uh yeah, I guess."

With a slight giggle, she turned back to looking at the dappling snowflakes, "I always thought snow was just the dust of stars, the flakes of them coming back down to the world."

Vyne blinked at her, nodding slowly as she continued, "Of course I still believe it, but there are many new things I learnt."

He gripped the snow as she brought up the subject of learning, their education was nightmarish, focusing on excruciating exercises to build up magic power with little focus on any other learning activities.

"You were hurt, you were in pain. We both were just cruelly tortured. How can you consider that learning?" He whimpered out, a look of anger streaking across his face, followed by guilt. He looked down at his paws, remorseful about lashing out at her.

She placed a tail on his face, lifting his head up to face hers. He twisted his head away, guilt controlling his actions. She sighed, shaking her head and pointing her tail to the sky, "The skies are always glittering with hope and joy, but within the stars, there will always be darkness."

She turned to him as she gripped his paw with her tail, "Does that mean the darkness is bad? Does it mean it's less important? No. The darkness is what we make it to be, I chose to make mine good, now it's your time to choose."

His eyes widened at her uplifting words and his eyes watered. He vaguely remembered the soft snow under his paws as he took a step forward towards her. He always remembered the darkness being cleared by her light; his despair uplifted by her soothing words. He cherished the calm, soft words that dappled onto his ears.

* * *

"Hey, we're here."

Crou's blunt words snapped her out of his trance as he looked around him. They stood at the gates to the capital. In front of them were the magnificent gates that loomed over them, it's imposing iron grills sending shivers down his spine. Vyne closed his eyes, praying. It was difficult for an Oustowner to get in, they had to convince the guards some way or another. Looking over at his two partners he grimaced. They were grimy and dirty. Crou had wounds all over her body with dirt strung between her pelt. Mellow's fur was ruffled, its caramel colour tainted from sand and muck. Worst of all was the smell. Mellow and himself had been crawling through filth and muck, no doubt they stank like no stars. Crou was no better, the reek of sweat radiating from her body. This would be hard if not impossible for the trio.

"Hey, I've got a plan."

Vyne turned his head towards the source of the voice. Mellow was standing there shimmering, her magic ability in use. The light bent around her, enveloping her in bright light. Stepping out of the light, he grinned slyly. Mellow had morphed into a she-cat guard, light steel clothing padded across her pelt, chainmail vesting loosely tied down her legs. It was a perfect disguise, identical to the guards across at the gate. Vyne's gears in his head clicked into place as he realised her plan. Crou's widening eyes told him that she knew as well.

* * *

The pair was magically chained by illusionary chains as Mellow discussed with two guards in front of the gate. Crou grumbled beside him, digging a hole in the ground under her as she scraped her unsheathed claws against the coarse dirt.

"These two here are prisoners, insurgent rebel scum." She purred, her eyes betraying nothing.

She's a good actress, he thought, fidgeting in his illusionary chains hung across his neck. He looked around him, staring at the clear, evening sky. The lights of the city had flooded the night above with brilliant jewels of luminous magic rays from beyond the city walls. It was beautiful, yet it was a stark reminder of the wide difference between them, Oustowners and Inner-City folk. He looked over, back at the Oustowns. There was barely a flicker of any light throughout the vast slums. Undeveloped and rotting houses spread in between forests. Yet even then, he knew that there was nothing they can do. He didn't blame the city dwellers, he didn't blame the monarchy. He knew it was but the fundamental issue with wealth. The most they could do was live the best lives they could. And remembering the lively attitude of the Oustown kits, destroyed by the marching of the peace officers breaking through, the only one he could really hate were them. He unsheathed her claws into the coarse ground below.

He wanted to hate them that is. He couldn't. The velvet she-kit, her words of wisdom. They were whispers in his ears that forever echoed throughout him. Hatred was something she frowned upon, it was something she warned him against. And he could never break a promise to her, not again. Not after what happened…

"Let's go!"

Mellow's rough cry broke him out of his thoughts as she pulled the chains, forcing the pair forward. Vyne blinked as he realised, they were going into the city. His eyes widened as they began watering, glimmering from the excitement of going into the city that he had always dreamed of going to. A brilliant flash of light as they entered through the rising gate. His mind exploded in giddy glee as he watched in awe at the great rows of luminous magic lighting, running down the street in lamps. Decorative bushes were placed through the centre of the road, drilling through the middle, down towards the mountain, the castle situated picturesquely balanced on the mountaintop. Perfectly carved, polished stone was the norm on these streets, luxury wood for some. Soft yet solid carpet-like material was laid down across on these streets, bringing soothing, calmness in his paws. He was wrapped in the city's limelight, its elegant structure.

Looking to his left, he saw the great, black-stone magus-hold spire. A towering structure he had only seen from far away. Even then, it was a magnificent piece of architecture, even from there, in the Oustowns. But more importantly, it was a place of great magic, mysteries shrouding the spire's true purpose…

They padded down the great boulevards of the city, towards the base of the mountain, dungeons dug into the base. As they padded down the streets, he saw floods of cats padding down streets and along the markets along the river ahead of them. Carved stone walls guarded the river line as stalls of produce, equipment and other products was set up along the sandy banks. It was a lively society here too. His heart was raised a bit as he was reminded of the Oustowns even here, despite the distinct differences there seemed to be. He shook his head as they cross a bridge set along the river line, cutting into the markets. Few cats even gave them a glance, some pitiful, some in spitting at them in anger, but apart from that, nothing. Apathy towards them was the norm as if this was a regular thing…

He heard the laughs of kits in the street as they rushed along the banks of the river, shooting harmless magical rays at each other, an innocent game. He looked to his right, a magical academy, a massive complex akin to the castle high above them, one building of the academy that is. Built for kits like these, playing along the river. It was an absolutely, monstrous size of a campus that stretched far across towards the mountain. From kits to even cats older than himself, the students lived, played and studied throughout the colossal campus. It made him slightly green with envy before he realised what he was thinking about, knocking his head with his paws as he smiled in embarrassment. Crou who was looking across at him twitched her whisker, confused at his reactions before shaking her head looking away.

Finally, they made it to the base of the mountain. A pantheon, a temple. It stood pridefully grand at the base of the mountain, golden drapes cross the polished, white quartz of the temple's pillars, base and roof.

"Retract: Light Chains."

Vyne felt the magic around his neck cease existing. His neck alleviated. These light magic illusions with solid forms, they were another trademark of his friend's light magic. And with it, they were now in the city. With it, he would find out what was bothering Crou.

All of a sudden, a roar shook the entire base of the mountain. A thunderous quaver spread across the ground as it reverberated their paws, shaking them off onto the rocking ground. Stone boulders broke off from the mountains in chunks, rolling down onto the ground with a loud, defined crash. Mellow yowled in fear as she bounced around across the bobbing land. Vyne clamped down onto the quaking ground with sheathed claws into the ground, Crou following suit. The quaver soon subsided all at once. The trio blinked, unsure of what happened. Then they heard it. A loud, caterwaul rung out across the city, screams following suit from high up on the mountain. A giant being, nigh, a monster, hanging along the mountaintops, one arm gripped on the mountain. His eyes wavered at the sight. A beast of nightmares, a monster of horror stories. A large dark beast summoned from the depth of the darkest magic.

_**A titan!**_

* * *

A/N: Well the crazy stuff has started. Try to keep up as you'll need to understand the perspective of each character relative to their timeline in the story. Anyways that's it for now, submit OCs if you want and have a nice day.


	6. Chapter 5: All of a Sudden

_**Chapter 5: All of a sudden**_

* * *

Katia's day was just getting worse and worse. She woke up, her brother already out for his work. She was late to the roll call, getting scolded by the head maid. And worse of all, she was given hungry gazes from guests having come for the tri-moon festival. Their devious looks staring her down. Her paws itched to lash out at them with her long, sharp claws, but she kept herself calm, focusing on her job. Serving drinks, food platters and most importantly, keeping watch.

And now this crazy, dark she-cat was in front of her, having jumped from the bushes, striking her with her claws. Katia glanced back watching the princess run off terrified, before whipping her head back towards her adversary, rage boiling over, her claws unsheathing to parry her opponent's.

She was pushed back by the pure force of the blow as she realised that her opponent was using magic to empower her blows. Her light blue eyes darkened as she glared at her enemy.

"Who are you?!"

The black-furred she-cat grinned viciously, "The names Cyan. Cyan Thorne. I will be the downfall of this kingdom tonight!"

Katia raised an eye at her. This cat is crazy, she thought. She raised a paw, flicking it forward to revealing her claws to her enemy in the light of lamps along the base of the hedges. Rainbow streaks lined her claws as the glowed with its myriad of colours, rippling through the air with an intense wave of burning magic power.

She bowed her head at her adversary in a courteous, formal manner, calmly announcing to her, "Katia Rythen, Battle Maid 054 of the Main Combat Maid Corp. I will be your judge, jury and executioner tonight. Your attempt to break into the castle will be matched by my ferocity and I will show no mercy whilst dispatching you."

Cyan snorted, her eyes glimmering in excitement as she charged her, her claws flaring up with a bright red aura as she slashed forward at Katia. Katia dodged elegantly and flawlessly. Each strike the dark she-cat threw at her was smoothly dodged without a sweat. Cyan growled as she lashed out a chain of energy at her foe from her right front-paw.

"Zeke!" She yowled, the chain brightened significantly as magical energy coursed through it.

The red whip struck at the ground below her as Katia jumped backwards. She looked to her side where a second whiplash struck at her. Unable to dodge in the air, she cursed, channelling magic power to her right front-paw.

"Claw Magic: Ametherite Storm!"

Her paws lit up brightly with a flare of ruby as she struck down at the chain, the mere force of the empowered claw, sending the whiplash flying out over the hedges, down towards the city below. The chain was ripped away from Cyan's right front-paw, however, it did not seem to cause her pain as she summoned another chain. Katia growled at her circumstances as she fell to the ground, using her claws to cushion her fall.

"Impressive I must say. You're the first one to push me to use my powers. Then again many of the castle break-ins were from looneys so no doubt you're no different." She exclaimed, panting only lightly as she glared down her opponent.

The dark she-cat returned the glare as she laughed out loud, her claws flaring up even further with magical energy as the red energy turned dark, "I'll show you; you won't consider me just another small fry soon enough. You will fear me."

It was Katia's time to scoff. She tore off her maid uniform revealing a battle dress. Loose chainmail was strung across her fur, streaks of jet-black fur ran down her fur. She closed her eyes, channelling the magic in her battle dress. A ripple of magical energy shockwaved across the garden, sending her adversary flying into a hedge. The storm of whiplashing dark magic cooled to a standstill revealing Katia in dark chainmail lacing, streaking across her entire body, little white frills coming off the end at her rear. Cloth leggings stretched out from her body towards her wrists, not restricting her movement by the slightest. And finally, dark horns pierced out from her head, dark stone horns buzzing with energy. It was her battle form.

Cyan nodded her head as she giggled with glee, "Finally, the little tiger finally shows me her best."

Her eyes squinted at her as emotions drained from her caramel eyes as she bared her jaws, "Let's fight real now."

Katia grimaced, "Let's."

Cyan made the first move, dashing forwards with incredible speed, catching her off guard. Katia moved to defend herself, parrying Cyan's claws with her own. The dark she-cat growled in response to her reaction, lashing out with her powerful scarlet chains, wrapping one of Katia's horn. A sinister smile spread across her face as a wave of energy coursed through the chain. Katia felt searing pain as the magical energy shockwaved through her body, electrocuting her. She collapsed to the ground, yowling in pain as she glared down her opponent, spitting blood out.

The black she-cat only waved her tail apathetically as she took back an aggressive stance, keeping the assault up as she sent volley after volley of whipping chains at her. Katia was forced further back and back as each whipped snapped off more and more tufts of her silver fur.

"Come on now! I didn't get broken out of the dungeons just to play with weak little vermin. Show me much, much more!" The insane she-cat purred in sadistic delight as her chains doubled in numbers, a machine gun of whips thrown her way.

Cursing under her breath, Katia quickly raised her right paw up as she gathered energy in the claw, "Claw Magic: Ametherite Flash!"

Suddenly a brilliant flash of pink struck the black she-cat as she fell to her paws, dazed. She quickly rushed her enemy dashing to her side before raising her paw once again, a powerful aura of magic energy radiating from her claws, "Claw Magic: Ametherite Storm!"

The she-cat's eyes widened as she was pushed back by the force of the energy striking at her flanks. She was sent flying towards the hedge at the edge of the garden a surprised screech escaping her as she fell into the torrent of leaves. There was the rustling of hedge leaves and then nothing. The soft wind rippled through the air as an eerie silence washed over the atmosphere. Katia even wondered if she had fallen off the edge of the mountain when suddenly, three chains struck out at her. The silver she-cat was only able to tear through two. The third managed to connect, knocking her back and pinning her against a tree of the garden. The chains locked her in place as the dark she-cat slowly and ominously padded out of the hedges, blood streaking from her head

"That, is not okay." She cocked her head in disgust at her, "You'll pay dearly for that!"

She charged towards the pinned maid as she desperately tried to escape the chains. Finally, with the closing of her eyes and the bristling of her furs, she felt the distinct chink of her combat armour. Spikes emanated from the core of the armour, tearing the magical chain in half and stopping Cyan dead in her tracks. In an instant, Katia was behind her, a slash of her claws striking down her opponent's shoulder as she squealed in agony and surprise.

The dark she-cat staggered backwards, scarlet blood dripping down her shoulders, her caramel eyes ablaze with hate-filled flames. Even in this dire situation, the silver maid let out an abrupted chuckle as saw the malice in her adversary's eyes. Something clicked in the dark she-cat's eyes as she charged forwards thoughtlessly with a bloodcurdling yowl. Her attacks were sporadic, but the intensity of the strikes made her realise that any strike that she did land would have devastating consequences. Thus, she dodged and weaved under every attack, her evasions just barely in the nick of time as the claw flied overhead.

Finally, the black she-cat had had enough. Dashing forwards with such speed, she lashed out a claw as Katia staggered back in the vain hope of not getting hit. The claw connected however, and she was sent flying backwards.

"Claw Magic: Ametherite Shield!"

Two spheres of magical energy formed on her front two paws as she cushions her impact onto the ground below. The magic dissipated immediately as Katia moved her attention to the once again charging she-cat, her magical chains once again lashing out at her. With a strike of her claw, she slashed downwards against the she-cat only to realise that she had dissipated from that position, appearing only a few mouse-tails to her right, with her paws glowing with immense magical power.

Katia only had a moment to utter out the words she needed before getting hit, "Claw Magic: Thundrite Storm!"

Arcs of lightning appeared from her claws striking at the chains and the body of the she-cat as it spread across her body, electrocuting her as she dropped down to her paws, stifling a scream of pain. Still, she was as persistent as ever, rising back up with even more rage-filled irises, frightening even Katia.

"It seems all your magic comes from the power of imbuing gems into your claws. Let's see how well you fare when you forget them!" She yowled out loud, the whole garden reverberating at her pure resentment and hostility towards the silver she-cat.

"Colourblind!"

All of a sudden, Katia's eyes widened as the words that had come fluid to her mind just a moment ago, vanished. Every thought she could grasp was melting away as she began forgetting the names of the gem's her magic so very much relied on. She cursed under her breath as the she-cat staggered back up and with a vicious look sent in her direction, charged.

Katia knew there was only one more way to win this.

Pulling back her paws, she retreated towards the hedges of the garden, backing herself against the wall. She had no idea how long the black she-cat's effect would last on her but she had to try something before she was overwhelmed. As Cyan approached slowly but without caution, she cackled, "Oh how the little mouse runs. It is always **so **amusing to see them cower once I force them to forget their magic."

Katia growled, fury enveloping her as she glared down the cocky she-cat. She was getting on her nerves. Yet she stayed silent for her entire plan hinged on it. She wasn't going to jeopardise it just because of a few taunting words some crazy she-cat spouted. Having trained for this, Katia took a deep breath, her claws sheathing and unsheathing as she released any and all built-up tension within her.

Dissatisfied by the reaction she got from her, Cyan frowned, her eyes glowered dark caramel, "Are you not as defiant as your monarch is proud?"

Cyan hissed as she brought up her claws for the final blow, her claws empowered by the magical chains she had used against Katia beforehand. Without magic, there was nothing she could do to block it. Yet Katia knew, she did not need to block the attack. As if in slow motion, the claw moved through the air with a whish allowing Katia not a nick of time to react. Still, at the very last moment, as her claws were about to connect with her neck, she dashed. Under the claw, under Cyan's belly as she struck up with her head, the spikes of her armour detaching to strikes the joints of the black she-cat. With a pained screech, she tumbled across Katia's body, tripping over the grassy grounds of the garden and fell into the hedge. Feeling her words returning to her memories and thus, her magic unlocking once more, she grinned, one filled with a slight twinge of sadism. With one last push, Katia charged forth into the hedge, her claws filling up with magical power as she screamed, "Claw Magic: Thundrite Pulse!"

A booming shockwave rippled across the garden as a visible soundwave rimmed with electromagical energy struck forth from Katia's paws reverberating against the hedges and striking the ensnared black she-cat within. The final blast sent Cyan flying off the mountaintop, her dark body sent tumbling down the mountainside as she shrieked. As she disappeared below, Katia had one final glance at the intruder. Locking eyes with each other as Cyan fell, she saw the dark she-cat's eyes filled with the deepest, darkest spite she had ever seen, hatred flaming in her very irises. Shivers crawled across every part of her pelt as she knew the meaning of those eyes. She had seen it before; she didn't particularly know when. But she knew, it was a long time ago. Those eyes that ring through her mind now, she knew the exact meaning of them: _This isn't over_.

Before she could wrap her mind around what she just witnessed, screams echoed from across the garden. Her heart sank as she discerned the origin of the sounds. _The Lake_. Swiftly, she made her way towards the lake, dashing through the gardens, her mind racing from the many varieties of dangers that could possibly be present. But as she pushed her way through the garden, her mind kept coming back to a digging sentence that Cyan had uttered out to her. She had put it to the back of her mind back then, the fight was the more important. But breaking out of the dungeon? Did something terrible happen there? She ground to an absolute halt. She didn't know what to do now. The screams at the lake rang towards her as a call of distress, a signal for help. She could not just leave knowing that danger could have been present at there. Yet, she had a duty to do, and with so many other guards and cats around the lake…

She grimaced, knowing the difficult truth. Turning back around, she rushed towards the dungeons, within the heart of the mountain, closing her eyes as she raced back across the gardens, entering the palace, making her way towards the entrance to the dungeons, she silently prayed towards those at the lake, _You've got this_…

* * *

Tempest walked a slow, melodic path through the wood. His pawsteps cautious yet filled with purpose as they scrunched over the dead, dry leaves littering the bases of the forest trees. The sun was setting, its orange and red rays dancing across the sky as they shattered against the canopy of the treetops causing rays of gold and orange to dappled against the forest floor, leaving shadows where the leaves above left no holes. He was deep in thought, his eyes closed as he sighed, tired of everything. Yet he, like everyone else, was bound to what he did. He didn't hate it, he in fact prided himself on his work. To work for the kingdom, he so dearly held as his and of course his majesty, whom he had devoted himself too. His oath, his duty. All for the whim of the imperial household. Yet, he was left tired from those who sought to oppose them. He did not want to harm, least of all to kill. But his work almost guaranteed that he must. His sister was less bound to these roles, almost thrilled by the prospect of the kill. The exhilaration of the hunt as she so put it herself, yet she was more rational, knowing full well the consequences of taking a life, almost as if she had done so before. Yet Tempest was less confident of himself. He knew that eventually, the time would come, that one day he had to make the choice to take a life, if not for himself, then the crown. He was hesitant of that choice that was ever nearing. He knew he had to stop running one day, to stop what he had just done. Running from someone who was a potential threat to the kingdom. Running not because he feared losing, but because he was scared of killing.

He sighed. No point in mulling over a fact. He had to look to the ever-encroaching future, soon to be present. As night fell, the tri-moon festival would be sure to be beginning. He had to make it back by then. Continuing his way through the woods, at a faster pace than before, he glided his way through the gilded reflections of the leaves scattered across the forest floor and floating in the still woodland air. Despite not having confidence in his ability to kill, he had a duty and he was sure to partake in it to his fullest ability. He was certain that he would be needed back at the castle for one reason or another, plus, his sister was there, reinvigorating his will to return as soon as possible. No more taking it slow and mulling over hindrances to his duty. Instead, he had to prove himself, as he had done before so long ago…

Night fell as the silver-coloured tom made his way out of the woods, through the city, finally making it to the castle. The stars glittered far above with the brilliance of white gems. He made his way up the mountain through the staircases lining the insides of the gargantuan mountain the castle was situated on. The long winding steps made his paws ache as he constantly pressed them roughly against the rough, uncarved stone. If he hurried, he knew he could get to the High Lake, where the ceremony was held before the expected magical ceremony was to take place.

As he clambered up the towering steps, he heard a mumbling chatter coming from the chamber to the next exit from the staircase. Squinting his eyes in suspicion, he made his move, dashing across the stairs up towards the chamber where he heard the indistinct chattering from. Recognising where he was, he unsheathed his claws in preparation. Situated in the centre of the mountain, it was the most protected of the several dungeons with the mountain. Only the worst of the villainous cats caught by the royal police were detained here, stored here either for what hoped to be an eternity or until they were executed for their crimes. The fact that there were numerous, unnerving chatters from within here on today of all days… Well, that left Tempest very wary. Pushing the gated grills of the entrance out of the way, he made his way inside to investigate the dark chamber. The shadowed hallways and the damp floor made it difficult to see, leaving him momentarily blind until a light flickered by the end of the hallways. All of the cells were eerily empty, a fact Tempest took note of as he made his way down the hallway towards the flickering light. Coming to a stop at the source of the illumination, a swaying lamp hovering above the desk of, perhaps the warden of this specific dungeon, he immediately knew something was off.

A sudden gust of wind at the back of his neck alerted him of danger as he swiftly pivoted, raising his unsheathed and prepared claw up to the assassin. A grumbled scoff, almost annoyed with Tempest's detection of him, the shadowed cat stepped into the illumination of the lamp as is eyes glowered red in the dark. The silver tom was forced back to the desk as the newly illuminated white cat stepped forth. As the tom encroached up upon him, the silver tom could not but widen his eyes as he felt the immense power emanating from this cat. Particulates of magic shed off him, attaching itself to the wind he felt from. He knew, there was no way he could beat this enemy in a battle of magic alone.

"So, I suppose some fellow finally came to check the dungeons? That Cyan girl sure made everyone's day in here a lot tenser." The white cat spoke up first, his eyes glimmering with rage.

His fury, however, was not directed at Tempest but rather at a certain other cat he did not know of. This, _Cyan_, he hoped wouldn't come in here any second now and make it even more difficult.

"Oh well, I wouldn't need her to beat you and scram." He calmly meowed as he lay back lazily scratching his claws against the hard, cobblestone floor, damp from condensation, "You can feel it too, can't you?"

Not saying a word, Tempest crouched low, preparing himself for the tom's coming strike. He knew it would be futile. This cat could effortlessly kill him judging just from the amount of power he radiated. Such a cat like him, it would be nigh impossible for Tempest to even land a harming blow, let alone win.

"So, let's make this easy on both of us, hmm." He proposed as he clambered back up, his dark claws unsheathing causing cracks to instantly form beneath his feet, "Calmly fall and die, and you'll die a swift, painless death. I won't even dismember your body."

"But…" His claws quickly snapping forth to strike just at the side of Tempest's head, "Resist, and I'll make sure to devour your soul to it's fullest so no remnant of it will make it to your so-called afterlife."

At those words, his heart sank. This white tom, he sudden recognised. A feared name across the kingdom and probably beyond. It took perhaps a hundred other cats to apprehend him and now, he faced Tempest. What could he possibly do?

The cat he knew of, the one who could kill all at the flick of his paws. He was better known by his alias, the one which represented him the greatest. The one who eats the souls of those he killed, Grit, The Soul Devourer.

Tempest's eyes flashed with unrestrained fear as the white tom chuckled at it, "Ah, so you do recognise me after all! Well I would have hoped so since you don't want your death to be in the hands of a complete stranger."

All of a sudden, Grit's eyes changed to his signature red as he purred violently, "But still, no matter, either way you still die."

Tempest was frightened into silence, but he knew it didn't matter what he said now. The stories he had heard of, the ones he was told from many others. Grit was a cat of resolve, but a terrible type of resolve. He would go to any length to make sure the victims he targeted would be brutally mauled and their souls devoured. An everlasting sustenance they said, that fed him eternal strength and youth. A magic so powerful that it developed itself, getting stronger as more souls it devoured. Such power was dark magic, that it just had to be foreboded in the realm. And so, Tempest could honestly count himself lucky that he had not made himself one of Grit's victims. The tom didn't want to maul him nor devour his soul, yet Tempest still wanted to live, he still wanted to go home and be with his sister, the only cat he ever had. And he would make sure of it. He knew, by himself, he couldn't win, yet perhaps, just perhaps. If he could last long enough, help would arrive.

He prayed on a hope he knew was uncertain and unlikely to happen, his chances low as he readied himself, claws digging into the hard cracks in the stone floor as Grit's eyes glowered, squinting at his actions. The white tom gave a disapproving shake of his head as he sighed, "You shouldn't have done that boy. Desperate and false bravado will only cause you to be killed, just like now."

Grit dashed forth at the speed of light as he pummelled Tempest back immediately into the hard stone walls of the dungeon. His breath immediately left his lungs as he gasped out in shock and pain, his entire body going numb at the sheer force of the strike. The white tom tutted as he brought his claws down to Tempest's neck. Still paralysed and in complete shock, Tempest attempted desperately to move his unresponsive body in a vain hope of dodging his death from Grit's encroaching claws. Yet his body would not comply. Looking desperately around him, Grit's claws pierced the delicate nape of his neck as he pulled him forth, glaring directly at Tempest's fearful eyes.

"You're strong and brave, boy. Most cats would have already died by now, that knockout should have been enough." Grit smiled viciously as his eyes glowed up in a frenzy, "I don't like getting bloody, but I also don't like anyone opposing me."

Grit clambered down to meet Tempest's eyes, "Since you didn't comply with my wishes, I suppose you'll do fine for my dinner tonight."

As Grit's claws turned purple from the activation of his magic, Tempest could only close his eyes in a desperate plea for some miracle. He had certainly underestimated his opponent. He knew he was strong, but to an extent where he could kill without even trying… What madman could do such a thing?

Tempest opened his eyes just as Grit's claws came down to his neck, ready to eviscerate him and leave no trace of him behind. In a sudden and unexpected howl, Grit's claws barely missed him as he lumbered across the dungeon falling against the steel grills of one of the cells. His eyes glared across the dark dungeon to a newly opened door. A shadowy figure made itself across the hallway, pulling back its extended claw directed at where Grit had stood. As it approached, he could hear a distinctive and recognisable purr.

The dishevelled she-cat seemed out of breath as if she had ran across the entire palace and down the staircase to make it here. Her fur was a mess, probably messed up from her dash across the palace grounds and her body was stitched with wounds across her pelt. Yet she seemed calm and ready for a fight, her eyes flickered between him and Grit. Those distinctive light blue eyes, her dashing silver pelt. A grin that could take on the world. And a resolve, that he personally knew, would rival Grit's evil one.

"You boys got room for one more?"

And her chainmail armour chinked.

* * *

After chapter information:

Katia

Fur: Silver

Eyes: Light Blue

Magic: Gem magic that is powered through her claw gauntlet.

Unique information: As a combat maid, she has been trained to be courteous and formal for battle. Yet this always seems lost on her brother, Tempest, who just sees it as her being exhilarated for battle. This is exacerbated by Katia's constant teasing of Tempest whenever they fight together although them fighting together is a rare event altogether. And also it is partly because she has an attitude.

Tempest

Fur: Silver

Eyes: Yellow

Magic: Wind magic. He can even feel things carried by the wind such as the particles of magic that emanate from one's body as they use magic.

Unique information: As a part of the special forces, he is tasked to take down any and all special tasks that require of him no matter what asked. He is fearful of taking a life and is lucky to have not been tasked to have done so yet, but he is uncertain of how long this may last. He is always calm in action but erratic in emotions, always unable to discern his sister yet calmly executing his goals.

Grit

Fur: White

Eyes: Red, glows fervently when he activates his magic.

Magic: Soul magic, a type of dark magic. His magic can be a variety of magic that grows stronger and more various the more souls he devours from his dead victims. Note that he can only devour souls from those killed. Another thing to note as that his soul devour is more effective against those that he personally killed although he can devour souls freshly killed from other sources.

* * *

A/N: So… I haven't updated in a long time. I was on a hiatus, school's got me all gutted. Still, I've recently been reinspired to continue writing this story. And yeah, it's a bit of a pain that I can't invest as much time as I like for my stories. But, having looked back at them, its made me nostalgic. So I'd like to start writing again. Well, that's that for now. Now back onto the story, the only thing I'd like to note is that Cyan and Crou's after chapter information won't be added until afterwards. It's a secret as to why. But, let's just say that I'll make sure I get to it. The only thing left to note is that this arc of the story is almost over. I'd say that it'd only have 5 more chapters in this arc. So hooray! That's it for now, I hope you all enjoy it and I'll see you all next chapter, whenever that'll be.


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